Established children’s theater school Stagecoach has has signed its first franchisee in China, opening up the Asian market to this unique type of franchise
Stagecoach Performing Arts Schools has made some significant changes over the last couple of years in preparation for further global expansion. Their CEO, Sarah Kelly, has taken the franchise through a rebrand involving eight countries and over 300 franchisees. In their most recent development, Stagecoach has signed their first franchisee in China. We ask Sarah about the brand’s journey to the Asian market.
Tell us a little about the brand
Stagecoach Performing Arts was founded in 1988 as one of the first part-time children’s performing arts schools. It now operates the largest network of part-time performing arts schools in the UK and has over 45,000 students worldwide. With more than 300 principals and 2,500 teachers across the globe, our unique education framework combines learning singing, dancing and acting skills. Our programmes enhance that learning through great performance opportunities, unlocking a child’s creativity and giving them their moment in the spotlight. When learning skills become performance enhanced, we call that developing ‘Creative Courage For Life®’.
Where in the world can we find Stagecoach franchisees currently?
Our head office operation is in Surrey, England. We have a thriving franchise network in the UK and we also have established franchisees in Malta, Spain, Gibraltar, Germany, Canada, Australia and South Africa. On 12th September, we signed a deal to launch the first Stagecoach Performing Arts Schools in Beijing, China.
Will you be making any changes to the franchise model or teaching techniques for the Asian market?
It’s really important to stay focused on the brand values but also remain adaptable to local culture and situations. We decided on our golden rules, the must haves, and what we could be flexible on in the local environment. It’s important to work with our partners to learn how consumers will best receive us alongside focusing on what we do best, the strengths we can bring to the party.
There are a few elements we are likely to adapt to suit both Chinese students and their parents as the franchise offering develops in Asia. For example, classes in the UK are normally three one-hour lessons but have been changed to match the Chinese schooling system, to three 45-minute lessons.
We have the depth of product and expertise to provide in-country performing arts educational support and virtual training programmes for teachers. This includes valuable creative content, schemes of work, quality assurance and accreditation of teaching support to ensure the highest quality of education provision. We are working with our partners to best position and communicate our brand in the market, find suitable teachers, venues and make subtle changes to our teaching provision to make sense in the Chinese culture.
Tell us about your first franchisee in China
Yang Jiamin is a Chinese business woman who has been successfully bringing Western musical theater to China for the past few years through her company, Seven Ages. Now she is working with us in launching three Stagecoach schools in two locations in Beijing. Initially, they’ll be offering our Main Stage classes for 6-12 year olds but the plan is to expand to include Early Stage classes for 4-6 year olds, possibly as soon as the next term starts in March, after Chinese New Year.
How did you decide on China as your entry to the Asian market?
Chinese parents have always valued education and as China continues to face outwards to the Western world, there is a growing requirement for current and future generations to be well prepared with creative life skills. Our business model and educational programme is perfect to integrate into China, to meet parents’ needs for their children’s development.
We ran test summer camps in partnership with Yang’s Chinese theater production company. Our UK specialists trained a group of local teachers to deliver an abridged version of our performing arts school experience to two groups of children. Over 40 children learnt and performed the Royal Shakespeare Company’s show Matilda in English to their parents after only two weeks of rehearsals. It was a huge success and parents couldn’t believe how well their children had developed in confidence and skills over the short period of time.
It was testament to how the combined act of learning of singing, dancing and acting can be both a fun and a life-enhancing experience. The students learnt how to perform in a group, developed social and communication skills whilst supporting each other in ensemble work, taking on characters and creatively expressing their individual personality. This popularity and positive feedback from parents gave us the confidence to take this market entry to the next level. Following that, students signed up for Stagecoach’s first schools in Beijing for the new term.
Do you plan to expand further in China?
Oh yes, we have ambition to grow. It’s a big market and we want to reach as many children with our program as we can, to unlock their Creative Courage to enable them to go forward and accomplish on the stage of life. However, we will not move forward until
we have the right positioning, partners and infrastructure to scale up the opportunity correctly.
We are a global business and having a home in China as a springboard for the rest of Asia is very important. Our franchise system is proven, our performing arts educational program and product is in demand, parents worldwide want their children to develop life skills to take them forward and grab life and all its challenges confidently and creatively. We meet this global need at Stagecoach Performing Arts.
AT A GLANCE
Name of franchise: Stagecoach Performing Arts
Established: 1988
Number of franchised outlets: over 700 schools with 1,700 classes worldwide
Location of units: UK, Europe, Canada, Australia, South Africa, China
Investment range: £14,995 + VAT
Minimum required capital: £25,000 to include initial launch requirements
URL: www.stagecoachfranchise.com
Contact: +44 1932 254 333
