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Buoyed by the success of its indoor theme parks in Mumbai and Delhi, the Indian franchise of Mexican chain KidZania is looking to set up its third such format in the South at an investment of ₹80 crore.
The company renowned for its role play centres for kids said it may also look at replicating the same format in tier 1 cities once it establishes in major markets.
The franchise licence for KidZania in India is owned by Imagination Edutainment India Ltd whose shareholders are Singapore-based KidZ Inc, Comcraft Group, Xander Group, Maxfield Management Ltd, owning 74 per cent of the franchise, while actor Shah Rukh Khan owns the remaining 26 per cent in his personal capacity.
“We are scouting for a location in Bengaluru and Chennai and expects to close the deal soon. We should be opening the next KidZania by March 2017,” KidZania CEO and Director Sanjeev Kumar told BusinessLine .
The company has invested close to ₹176 crore in its two theme parks in Mumbai and Delhi. KidZania is typically housed in an area of 75,000-96,000 sq feet. “We will be looking to invest close to ₹80 crore in our third centre. With every new centre we gain expertise and bring down the cost,” Kumar said, adding the company is also looking at Kolkata and Ahmedabad as a potential market.
The company said the business is showing promising growth backed by a growing middle-class with disposable income. Since its launch in 2013, the company said it had managed to attract about 1.5 million visitors. KidZania said a chunk of its revenue’s comes from ticketing followed by merchandise and brand associations.
Brand associations “At least 60 per cent of our business comes from ticketing. We are constantly looking to drive up the footfall through various brand associations,” Kumar said, adding that it has achieved cash break-even at its Mumbai centre.
KidZania ticket prices start at ₹750 for a five-hour edutainment.
KidZania CMO Viraj Jit Singh said the company has 35 brand associations. Recently, the company had collaborated and established a first kids Parle G factory in KidZania in Mumbai.
KidZania’s indoor theme park has role-play from 90+ exciting careers such as pilot, surgeon, RJ, chef, fire-fighter and so on. It emulates the workings of a city with a functioning economy and its own currency. Each experience is designed to empower kids, giving them the confidence to be their best selves, and inspiration to be great global citizens.
KidZania concept is present in 20 cities, including London, Dubai, Jeddah, Lisbon and Tokyo.
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