We sell franchises, so read this knowing that. It is still the checklist we would want a member of our own family to use, and a brand that cannot answer these questions clearly is telling you something useful.
1. Who owns the inventory?
This is the single biggest difference between two apparel franchise agreements that look alike. Do you buy the stock outright, or is it consigned? If you buy it, what happens to what does not sell: is there a return window, a buy-back, an exchange against next season, or nothing? A brand that leaves unsold stock entirely with you has moved its inventory risk onto your balance sheet.
2. What is the actual margin, after everything?
Ask for the margin on the landed cost, not the headline retail margin, and ask what comes out of it: freight, your share of discounting during sale periods, marketing contributions, returns handling, software fees. A clear brand will hand you a worked example. An unclear one will quote a single percentage.
3. What territory do you actually get?
Get the boundary in writing, with a map or a pin code list. Ask directly whether the brand will open its own outlet, another franchise, or a shop-in-shop inside your boundary, and whether it will sell online into your territory. Online sales into your area are normal in 2026; what matters is that you know the rule before you sign, not after.
4. What does the support actually consist of?
"Full support" means nothing. Ask how many days of training, for how many people, where, and who pays travel. Ask what the launch marketing is in rupees and what it buys. Ask who visits the store after opening and how often.
5. What are the exit terms?
Read the termination clause before the glossy pages. How long is the term, what are the renewal conditions, can you sell the business, and what happens to unsold stock and fixtures if you leave? This is the clause you will care about most if things go wrong and the one nobody reads while things look good.
6. Can you speak to existing franchisees?
Ask for the contact details of two or three current partners, and ask to pick which ones from a full list rather than being handed a curated pair. A brand confident in its network will make this easy.
7. Does the product actually sell in your market?
Franchise economics are decided at the shop floor, not in the brochure. Walk your own catchment. Look at what the men there are buying and at what price. A premium format in a market that buys at a lower price point is a hard business no amount of brand support fixes.
If you want to run this checklist against us, the Bemount franchise page has the formats and the enquiry form, and we will answer all seven in writing.
