Conference Agenda

30th August, 2025
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Registration & Networking Breakfast
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM Opening Ceremony & Welcome Address

Session Highlights:
  • Welcome note by Organizers
  • Lamp Lighting & Opening Remarks
10:30 AM – 11:15 AM Inaugural Panel : The Future of Retail Franchising in India’s Consumer Economy

Session Highlights:
  • Rise of the Aspiring Middle Class & Rise of Tier 2 & 3 Cities as Franchise Growth Hubs
  • Franchise Models Enable Faster, Asset-Light Expansion
  • Brand-Conscious Millennials & Gen Z Fuel Demand
  • Sectoral Boom in Fashion, QSR, and Value Retail
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM Panel 2: India’s Franchise Growth Map: Scaling Franchise Models in smaller cities & Unlocking the Next 1,000 Towns

Session Highlights:
  • What drives successful franchise expansion in tier 2, 3 & 4 markets
  • Challenges and solutions in logistics, talent, and consumer readiness.
  • How government –led policies and incentives are empowering local franchising in smaller towns.
  • Manage the volatile dynamics of an investment negotiation and how to balance the varied expectations of all parties
  • Role of real estate in site selection — malls vs high street in small-town India.
  • Hyperlocalization: Customizing brand experiences for non-metro audiences.
12:00 PM – 12:20 PM Keynote: Designing for New India: Format Innovation & the Rise of the 10-Minute Store

Session Highlights:
  • • Dark stores, Q-commerce & hybrid models
  • • New retail formats: kiosks, carts, mobile stores
  • • Adapting formats for low-rental micro markets
  • • Convenience-driven retail in Tier 2/3 India
12:20 PM – 12:45 PM Networking Tea Break
12:45 PM – 1:30 PM Panel 3: From Local Legacy to Regional Powerhouse: How has a South Indian Brand Franchised Its Way to Success

Session Highlights:
  • How was the brand Built in the South, chose pure-play franchising & now growing Beyond Borders.
  • Expanding beyond South India—navigating new geographies and consumer preferences
  • Balancing operational control with franchisee empowerment
  • The road ahead: Taking a regional success story to a national or global stage
1:30 PM – 2:45 PM Networking Lunch & Expo Visit
2:45 PM – 3:30 PM Panel 4: Multi-Unit Mastery: Driving Growth through Operational Scale

Session Highlights:
  • Master Franchisees & Area Developers: The true engines behind rapid brand growth.
  • Models that Scale: Unit vs. territory-based expansion—what works best and why.
  • Growth Stories: Regional players growing from 5 to 50 stores through strong backend systems.
3:30 PM – 3:45 PM Keynote : Retail Redefined: Where India Shops in 2026

Session Highlights:
  • Future of retail experiences
  • Merging tech, trust, and touch in customer journeys
  • Reimagining store roles in a digital-first economy
3:45 PM – 4:15 PM Panel 5 : Franchising in Food: From Dine-In to Delivery-First

Session Highlights:
  • Scaling through multi-format kitchens (cloud, carts, kiosks, cafes)
  • Regional food chains expanding across states
  • Operational efficiency: Kitchen automation & delivery partnerships
  • Menu engineering, profit margins & outlet-level P&L
  • Franchisee profitability: Location planning & aggregator collaboration
4:15 PM – 5:00 PM Networking Session
Informal B2B meetups between franchisors, real estate heads, and franchise seekers
31st August, 2025
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Welcome Coffee & Expo Floor walk
10:00 AM – 10:45 AM Panel 1: How Tech is Reshaping Franchise Operations in India

Session Highlights:
  • Digitization of Operations: How cloud-based POS, ERP, and real-time dashboards are giving franchisors better control and visibility across outlets.
  • Smart Franchisee Onboarding: Use of digital training tools, virtual SOP simulations, and LMS platforms to ensure faster, standardized onboarding.
  • Data-Driven Decisions: Leveraging analytics for location planning, inventory forecasting, and personalized customer engagement.
  • Enhancing Customer Experience: Integrating CRM, loyalty apps, and AI-driven feedback tools for seamless and consistent service.
  • Supply Chain Efficiency: How tech is optimizing vendor management, cold chain logistics, and inventory flow for franchised networks.
10:45 AM – 11:30 AM Panel 2: The Location Game: Choosing Between High Streets and Malls for Maximum ROI

Session Highlights:
  • Choosing the Right Rental Model: Pros and Cons of Revenue-Share vs. Fixed Lease
  • Footfall vs. Sales: Understanding conversion rates across mall and high street formats
  • Evaluating rental models: revenue share vs. fixed lease structures
  • Analyzing footfall-to-sales conversion across retail formats
  • Strategic real estate partnerships and effective lease negotiations
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM Tea Break

12:00 PM – 12:45 PM Panel 3: The Franchise Backbone: People, SOPs & Performance

Session Highlights:
  • Hiring the Right People: Tips on how to find and hire employees who are the right fit for franchise stores in different locations.
  • Training for Consistency: How leading brands onboard and upskill franchise staff to deliver a uniform customer experience.
  • SOPs That Scale: Creating and implementing standard operating procedures that are easy to replicate and enforce across franchise units.
  • Performance Management: Aligning team KPIs with brand standards to ensure operational excellence at every outlet.
  • People + Process Integration: How to ensure that your human capital and process systems work together for seamless franchise growth.
12:45 PM – 1:30 PM Beauty, Wellness & Fitness- Scaling the Feel-Good Economy with Franchising

Session Highlights:
  • The rise of salons, skincare chains, fitness studios, and wellness clinics as mainstream franchise categories.
  • Franchise vs. licensing models: Choosing the right pathway for expansion in beauty and wellness services.
  • How tier 2/3 markets are responding to premium self-care and preventive health formats.
  • The power of product + service bundling in building customer loyalty and increasing AOV (average order value).
  • Leveraging celebrity branding, influencer marketing, and tech platforms to scale visibility and bookings.
  • Navigating training, SOPs, and standardization in people-led service businesses.
  • The evolving role of wellness retail (nutraceuticals, ayurvedic products, fitness supplements) in franchise networks.
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM Lunch & Deal-Making Tables
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM FREX Recognition Hour

Awards for:
  • Emerging Retail Franchise of the Year
  • Innovative Business Format
  • Most Promising Franchise Leader
4:00 PM – 4:15 PM Closing Remarks & Outlook 2026

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