A KEY official of the Philippine Franchising Association (PFA) believes Filipino franchisors are ready to export their products and services to the world.
Now on the seventh cycle in the franchising business, the Philippines, according to PFA chairman emeritus Samie Lim, is now equipped with industry experience to expand the local brands internationally.
“We’ve been able to train our franchisors (for more than two decades)… We will now export them,” said Lim in a press conference yesterday.
Lim, who founded the PFA in 1995, recalled how the local franchising industry evolved over the years. The first cycle mainly concerned food franchise while the second and third cycle were primarily focused on retail and services, respectively.
The third to sixth cycles, on the other hand, were centered on specialties: food like coffee shops and dessert shops during the third cycle, specialty stores for retail during the fourth cycle, and specialty services like nail salons and massage centers in the sixth cycle.
“Now we are on the seventh cycle, which is to make the Philippines as the hub of franchising in Asia. We will now export our franchisors,” Lim told reporters.
The Philippines is also attracting international brands, sticking to its name as the “franchising gateway in Asia.”
According to Lim, there are more than 50 international brands that are on the lookout for master franchisees in the Philippines. These brands hail from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Korea, United States, and Europe and will be participating in this year’s Franchise Asia at the SMX Convention Center in Manila on July 20 to 24.
The PFA official said these franchisors want to set up their headquarters in the Philippines, making it the starting point for their future expansions in Southeast Asia.
In addition, Lim announced that there is a delegation from Korea that will come to the Philippines to bring 30 Korean food franchises. The group is still searching for locations and plans put all these food establishments inside one mall.
Philippine companies have introduced 20 brands to the international markets through franchising, said PFA officials. While top Filipino brands like Jollibee, Bench, and Cebu’s own Bo’s Coffee and Penshoppe are the most known, Lim said the smaller ones have also started expanding like Potato Corner, Oryspa, and Bibingkinitan.
This year, the Philippine franchising sector aims to grow between 10 percent and 12 percent.
URL : http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/2016/04/10/local-brands-ready-go-global-466837
