個案總覽

The successful rise of Ferns N Petals, a branded flower boutique, coincided with the post-liberalization retail boom in India, a period of rapid growth for organized modern retailing, including online retailing. As the economy grew, disposable incomes rose, driving demographic and lifestyle changes and fuelling aspirations. The Ferns N Petals chain tapped franchisees aggressively. In a predominantly unorganized and localized market, the company successfully convinced potential franchisees to become part of the chain of nationwide branded stores. However, Ferns N Petals’ unique franchising business model faced many challenges — including creating and sustaining volume growth for franchisees while continuing to widen and deepen its retail footprint and replicating its model in the high-priced, highly skill-oriented and competitive wedding segment.

Organized steel retailing was not very popular among steel manufacturers in India. Very few such initiatives were undertaken by Indian players, but the most prominent was the JSW Shoppe concept promoted by Jindal Steel Works (JSW). JSW sold its products through a large network of dealers. However, the management had been concerned with building a brand image for its products, increasing its market penetration beyond the market of builders and fabricators, and attracting the attention of end users who would drive up sales. The company had felt that its distribution model would not serve its purpose, and had designed the unique concept of JSW Shoppe - a franchising model wherein the company would partner with existing and new dealers to achieve its objectives. <br><br>Set in 2010, the case deals with the challenges of transforming from a transactional distribution model to a relationship-based distribution model for franchising. Through the analysis of the case, students will locate the execution flaws in the company’s transformation, and seek the best way to address the issues related to this transformation. The case demonstrates the importance and role of a salesperson and the problems and issues that arise when a distribution model is changed - both from the dealers’ and company’s perspectives. Highlights of the case include the presentation of the challenges of franchising a specialty product, the evaluation of dealers using a balanced scorecard, and the preparation of an elaborate training module for the sales force.