Should I Open a Pizza Franchise Abroad?
ByJeff Elgin•
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
I am living in Mumbai and I am interested in starting my own business. I have not seen U.S.-based pizza businesses anywhere in Mumbai. Is it worth looking into buying a U.S. pizza franchise and opening it here? Can it be profitable?International franchising can be a huge growth opportunity for American companies. But you need to be careful, especially with food concepts. Some food products translate well into new markets but others do not.
If, as you suggest, there are no pizza franchises in Mumbai, then that might be a warning sign that this product won't work well in that area. In the alternative, it might mean that the market is wide open and the opportunity is very strong. There is no way to know the answer for sure until you do some more research.
Your best option, at least initially, is to contact the major pizza franchise companies (Pizza HutandDomino's, among others) directly to ask about opportunities with them in Mumbai. I'm sure they have done quite a bit of research into the idea of opening units in your area. Inquire about what this research has determined in terms of whether or not opening a franchise there would be a good idea.
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