Focus on training and skill building is Vital: Rahul Yadav

With a target to open 250 salons within 10 years in India, Marilyn Monroe Spas plan to give the best to its patrons. Marilyn Monroe Spas are fun, flirty, and fabulous while transforming traditional spa and salon concepts across 13 locations in United States of America.Rahul Yadav, Founder & Director of the brand did an exclusive chat with us on his views about franchising and how is he planning to tackle the bigger challenges like skilled manpower in India.

Tell us about La Vida Investment Holdings Pvt Ltd and why it chose to be the Master franchisee for Marilyn Monroe Spas for India? Any specific reasons for bringing it to India?
La Vida’s Operating Model is built around inducting leading industry professional as Co-Founder & CEO’s with equity participation to develop and drive business in their respective verticals with alignment & ownership. La Vida Investment Holding Pvt. Ltd has been incorporated to help provide global brand experiences to the aspirational Indian customer base in and beyond the larger cities, in both B2B and retail space. This Model has already evoked significant positive responses from industry leaders who have expressed keen interest to become a part of this new journey with a shared vision to establish a trustworthy and profitable platform for leading brands from international business houses to build a sizeable presence in the Indian market.

Reasons to choose Marilyn Monroe Spas:
- Marilyn Monroe is globally recognised as one of the most famous female celebrities of all time. Her unique blend of beauty, talent and humor has an enormous influence on pop culture, resonating with millennials who make nearly 85% of her fan base.
- Created and led by hospitality industry veterans and former Walt Disney executives, Marilyn Monroe Spas, is emerging as one of the most exciting partnership opportunities in the Salon & Spa industry. With roots in resort spas it has completely reinvented the salon and spa experience by providing modern, beautiful, clean environment and distinctive services.
-The iconic Marilyn Monroe brand stands out in a highly fragmented salon and spa industry due to the association with one of the most recognizable icons in the world.

Your comments on the fragmented beauty and salon sector. Do you think small players are making the market scrappier and unorganised?
Yes, small players are making the market more unorganised. More than 80% of the salon business is in unorganised sector, but it is changing fast. Branded salons were earlier considered to be high-end outlets but most of the organised players are trying to bridge the gap by offering quality services at affordable pricing. One of the reasons for the sharp growth in branded salons is the emergence of grooming & hygiene conscious clientele.

.What strict measures do you plan to take for quality check as it is vital in a market like India where there are hardly any rules and regulations for use of products and its application in salons and spas?
We have FOCO (Franchisee Owned & Company Operated) model that is specifically offered to tackle the issue of Quality, Service & Hygiene. Then, FOFO (Franchise Owned & Franchisee Operated) Model addresses these problems by way of frequent Audits, Customer Feedback & so on.

What are your views on franchising as a model to expand?
Via franchising model, the franchisor can establish a large number of outlets in a short period of time. Rapid expansion can be achieved without incurring the overheads and costs associated with opening company-owned outlets. This brings benefit to both, the franchisor and franchisee as it helps build consumer recognition quickly and establish the franchise.

The return on investment is much higher for businesses that expand through franchising. Because there is less capital employed, the franchisor's profits are generated on a much lower capital investment. Of great value are the shared resources the franchisor provides at a much lower cost, since these are built and maintained for everyone. The franchisor also provides a wonderful benefit in helping you design the layout of the business and select the right contractors. Franchising also allows for the business to expand without spreading managerial resources across too many business units.

Do you think spa culture is growing in India mainly because of the tourist and foreigner’s visits? OR Indians have really accepted this culture, trend beyond the typical Kerala therapy etc.
The spa culture is growing among Indians. It is because of exposure, awareness and the spending power of the customers. Spending power of an Indihousehold has increased. Indian women are prepared to maintain and groom themselves. Lot of women are very much aware of the new treatments available. Same goes for the men. The industry has really changed and the spa industry particularly is evolving with leaps and bounds. At this point spa industry is more into body massages and major growth has taken place in this segment. Things like Kerala massages, body scrubbing and body wraps are becoming popular. Many of the practices are being inspired from the western culture along with Indian traditional massages. A lot of new things are coming in to the industry.

The biggest challenge spa industry sees in India is lack of skilled workers. How do you plan to check this issue?

• By implementing proactive Employee policies
• Focus on Training & Skill building
• To meet this gap, aim to build up our own Training Academy

Do you plan to tie up with any celeb face for your brand in the near future?
Yes, this is under consideration