November 15, 2003 - The Link Newspaper

Kikara branch opening signals shift towards martial arts consolidation

Martial arts moved out of the realm of hit-and-miss operators with the Nov. 8 opening of the Lower Mainland's second Kikara Academy, in Guildford. The academy is the first of five Kikara plans to open in the next year.

Kikara President Craig Faulkner says he and founder Master Farhad Dordar were inspired to create a chain of academies a couple of years ago when they realized many people interested in the benefits offered by fitness martial arts are not joining an academy because they had no idea whether a given operation was good.

"There are 30,000 martial arts academies with about 3-million students in North America, most of them ma-and-pa operations," Faulkner says. "While some of them are very good, quality is all over the place. With a consistent design, cost, and feel, and most importantly consistent training based on 29 years of extensive study, we are going to bring martial arts to the masses."

Praveen Varshney, of Varshney Capital Corp. and a member of Kikara's advisory board, says Kikara is the first martial arts academy to adopt a turnkey business model proven successful in other industries.

"Kikara is set up to work with new business partners to construct or renovate a space in the Kikara brand, manage the operation, and supply trained staff and a fully computerized system," he says.

He adds Vancouver's Aldrich Pears Associates designed Kikara's studio interiors, each about 3,000 square feet, blending modern colours with Eastern influences to create a "funky and functional workout space."

"The martial arts industry is currently fragmented, and is ready for consolidation," Varshney says. "That's one of the reasons we have invested in this business and are strategically planning and fundraising for its North American growth strategy. As a parent of young children, I strongly believe in the life-long skills and qualities martial arts instill, such as self-confidence, a sense of accomplishment, and physical fitness."

Kikara, currently working with almost 500 students, strives to provide quality martial arts training scaled to all fitness levels and expertise, empowering its students in all aspects of their lives while working with business partners to expand its academies across North America. Its original studio is at 1727 West Broadway in Vancouver.