Kuala Lumpur, 2nd April 2016 – Malaysian business owners gathered here today to learn how to expand their businesses overseas through franchising by being certified in International Franchise Management (IFM), an enablement course organised by the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism (KPDNKK) and the Malaysian Franchise Association (MFA).
The two-day intensive IFM Certification course is the first of its kind to be offered in Malaysia, under the Government’s Enhanced Franchise Development Program (EFDP) and provides local businesses the opportunity to be fluent in the requirements, processes and opportunities related to international expansion.
Participation came from various sectors including education, food & beverage, Islamic pawnbroking, self-service laundry and consulting. The program was oversubscribed and attracted interest from overseas businesses. Due to popular demand, the organisers have announced a second edition to run in September 2016.
The course was designed and developed as part of the EFDP by industry experts. EFDP which is a program designed specially to cater and assist the homegrown franchise to venture into the global market.
The course includes topics such as Franchise Readiness for International Expansion, Understanding Foreign Market & Mode of Entry, Understanding Market Research, Financing Your Franchise International Expansion, Managing International Supply Chain, and Developing Training & Support Plans.
MFA Chief Executive, Ahmad Faizal Mohamed Noor was extremely grateful to the contributing members who provided full commitment to the program. He said, “This program is a proof that MFA members are dedicated in helping other Malaysian businesses to grow their brands overseas. During the global economic downturn, they are playing their role to teach their peers how to succeed like them.”
“This course is an important component of the EFDP is a very important program to help businesses. During the 2015 Budget speech, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced a RM20 million budget allocation for the EFDP to be implemented by the MDTCC and MFA.”
The feedback received from the participants was positive and they indicated interest in more of such courses to improve their future capabilities in expansion. One of our homegrown franchisor, GlobalArt’s Mr. Terry said, “This course was a wake-up call, even for experienced franchisors. IFM is a must for all franchisors expanding internationally”.
MDTCC currently has more than 800 registered franchisors and more than 60 of them have already expanded overseas. It is hoped that with the IFM Certification, this number will increase.
At the same time, KPDNKK alongside MFA will be organising the largest franchise exhibition in South East Asia which is the Franchise International Malaysia (FIM2016) on the 6th – 8th May 2016 at PWTC, Kuala Lumpur. Various activities will be held through this three days event including the Franchise International Conference on the 7th May 2016.
