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
- Guest of Honour from Ministry of MSME or DPIIT
- Lamp Lighting & Opening Remarks
|
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM |
Keynote : 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
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11:00 AM – 12:00 PM |
Panel 1: 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.
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12:00 PM – 12:30 PM |
Networking Tea Break
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12:30 PM – 1:15 PM |
Fireside Chat :
“From Entrepreneur to Franchise Empire: The Indian Playbook”
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1:15 PM – 2:15 PM |
Networking Lunch & Expo Visit
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2:15 PM – 3:15 PM |
Panel 2: 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.
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3:15 PM – 4:00 PM |
Panel3: From Local Legacy to Regional Powerhouse: How One 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.
- Why the brand chose a pure-play franchising model from day one
- Challenges and lessons from franchising in regional markets
- 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
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4:00 PM – 4:45 PM |
Investor Talk
Panel 4 : How PE Funds, Investors and Large organizations are weighing the Franchise Industry
Session Highlights:
- Evaluate the opportunities and risks for investments from franchise leaders and investors that have
been there, done that
- Risk Management and Contingency Planning for Enterprises
- Performance Metrics and KPIs : Key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the performance and
health of franchise systems. Benchmarks for revenue growth, profitability, unit economics, and
system-wide sales.
- Regulatory and Legal Landscape: Regulatory frameworks and legal considerations relevant to franchise
investments.
- Discussion on compliance requirements, franchise disclosure laws, and potential legal risks for
investors.
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4:45 PM – 5:30 PM |
Networking Session
Informal B2B meetups between franchisors, real estate heads, and franchise seekers
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31st August, 2025 |
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM |
Welcome Coffee & Expo Floor walk
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10:00 AM – 10:45 AM |
Leadership Talk
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.
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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
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11:30 AM – 12:00 PM |
Tea Break
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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.
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12:45 PM – 1:30 PM |
CEO Roundtable (Open Forum)
Topic: “The Franchisor’s Dilemma – Expansion vs. Control”
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1:30 PM – 3:00 PM |
Lunch & Deal-Making Tables
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3:15 PM – 4:15 PM |
FREX Recognition Hour
Awards for:
- Emerging Retail Franchise of the Year
- Innovative Business Format
- Most Promising Franchise Leader
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4:15 PM – 5:00 PM |
Closing Remarks & Outlook 2026
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