How do I start a franchise business in India, and which franchises are worth it?
Buy a franchise only through the brand's own website and only after you have spoken to three of its existing franchisees, because the brand's pitch is not evidence. A franchise is a proven store design, supply and brand that you pay for with a fee, a royalty and the whole fit-out, and costs range widely: Amul puts its setup at Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh excluding property, with no royalty. Apply only through official routes such as Zudio's Retail Business Associate form or Zepto's Growth Partner page; fake franchise offers are common, and a Surat shop owner paid Rs 31 lakh in fees to a fake Zudio offer in 2025. Before signing, read the royalty, territory, minimum stock purchases and exit clause, and work out the monthly sales needed to cover rent, staff and royalty. What kills most franchisees is a weak location, which no brand can fix.
Amul's own page for prospective franchisees, the cleanest example of a low-investment franchise in India: setup costs excluding property usually run Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh by format, with no royalty or revenue share. An Amul Parlour needs a Rs 25,000 refundable deposit, 100 to 150 sq ft, about Rs 80,000 of renovation and about Rs 80,000 of equipment.
An independent 2026 walk-through of Amul's two main formats, the Preferred Outlet at about Rs 2 lakh and the Scooping Parlour at about Rs 6 lakh, with margins from 2.5% on pouch milk to about 50% on recipe items, and a warning about the fake Amul franchise websites that collect deposits.
A July 2025 news report of a shop owner who found a fake Zudio helpline email, was sent official-looking letters and paid Rs 31 lakh in registration, NOC and agreement fees before police arrested two people. It shows exactly how franchise fraud works in India.
Zudio's own page for anyone who wants to run a Zudio store: a Retail Business Associate form, after which the company's franchise team gets in touch only if there is scope. It asks for no payment, which is the test for every fake Zudio franchise offer.
Zepto's own page for its Growth Partner programme, under which a partner runs a dark store with Zepto helping on location, processes and hiring, and is paid monthly once orders flow. Use it as the only door to a Zepto franchise; offers arriving by other routes should be treated as fraud.
