Licious does not currently accept new individual franchise applications.
"Licious operates as a vertically-integrated D2C meat-and-seafood platform, controlling its farms, processing, cold chain, and last-mile delivery. The 23 physical 'Licious Outlet' stores serve as company-owned brand-builders and are not available for franchising. There is no official franchise, dealership, or partner section on their website, indicating no active individual franchise program." — Licious official site (D2C platform; no franchise programme), www.licious.in
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Why Licious does not offer franchises — and what's available for individual investors
Founded in 2015 by Abhay Hanjura and Vivek Gupta in Bengaluru, Licious rapidly ascended to become India's first unicorn in the fresh-meat delivery sector in 2021, achieving a valuation exceeding $1 billion. The brand's core strength lies in its deeply integrated supply chain, overseeing everything from sourcing and processing to cold chain logistics and last-mile delivery across more than 20 cities. This comprehensive control ensures product quality and consistency, establishing Licious as India's largest e-commerce meat brand.
Licious' business model is predicated on direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales, augmented by 23 physical "Licious Outlet" experience stores. These outlets, launched from 2023 onwards, are exclusively company-owned and strategically positioned as brand-building touchpoints rather than independent franchise units. This approach allows Licious to maintain stringent quality controls and direct customer relationships, which are central to its brand promise.
Despite Licious' clear D2C and company-owned strategy, many online aggregator platforms, such as indianfranchise.in and franchisebyte.com, erroneously list "Licious Franchise" opportunities with speculative investment figures (e.g., ₹5 lakh + ₹1 lakh franchise fee). These figures are unsubstantiated and have no official basis, as Licious has never publicly offered a franchise program for individual investors. Such listings are typically designed to capture search traffic rather than represent genuine opportunities.
For individual investors seeking opportunities in the meat, seafood, or broader D2C food sector, a range of active franchise programs exist within a similar capital expenditure band of ₹15 lakh – ₹40 lakh. While Licious itself is not an option for franchising, brands like Tendercuts (which has some franchise models) and various cloud kitchen partnerships (such as those offered by Pizza Hut Delivery) provide alternative avenues. Investors should verify any listed franchise opportunities directly with the brands to ensure authenticity.
Sources: Licious official website · TechCrunch 2021 unicorn announcement · Business Standard 2023 outlet expansion reporting · FRANticc independent analysis of D2C models and franchise aggregators.
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