Samie Lim’s new mission: Turn Phl into Asean’s franchising hub

MANILA, Philippines - In less than a year, the Philippines will be joining other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to form the Asean Economic Community (AEC). 

The economic integration in Southeast Asia is expected to offer a lot of opportunities as well as pose numerous challenges to policymakers and businessmen, including thousands of franchises nationwide. 

The key in succeeding in this time of change is preparation.  Samie Lim, recognized as the “Father of Philippine Franchising” and chairman emeritus of the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA), said this is the reason why the 2014 edition of Franchise Asia Philippines (FAPHL) will specifically address the concerns of franchisers about the Asean integration.

“Asean is a big market and presents big opportunities to franchisers. Getting to know this market and finding out its needs would provide any businessman a competitive advantage,”  Lim, chairman of BLIMS Lifestyle Group, Inc. and Canadian Tourism and Hospitality Institute, said.

“I am confident that the industry will succeed in the AEC.   The franchising sector has weathered the storms it faced in the previous years and I am sure the sector can overcome the challenges posed by the Asean integration,” Lim stressed.

Lim noted that even with little government support, the industry has placed the Philippines within the radar of foreign franchising giants.  In fact, the US-based Edwards Global Services (EGS), a research and consultancy firm, ranked the country as among the top 10 countries where franchising can flourish.

Thanks to the hard work of local players under Lim’s leadership, franchising has now become a major contributor to the Philippine economy.  The sector represents about 35 percent of retail output and hires over a million workers.

The 2011 report of the World Franchise Council said the Philippines has an $11-billion franchising industry consisting of over 1,300 franchise concepts, more than 124,000 franchisees, and an employee base of 1.1 million.

Lim said these franchise concepts are world-class and can go head to head with franchises in developed countries. Some Filipino franchises such as Goldilocks and Max’s have already ventured out to United States, Canada, Thailand and Middle Eastern countries.

Lim’s resolve to champion the concerns of small and medium enterprises in particular and Filipino brands in general, is rooted in his family’s history of living in Tondo, Manila. Though Lim’s family was among the most respected in Tondo, living amongst shanty-dwellers opened his eyes and broadened his understanding of the hardships of starting small. 

Samie, nicknamed “Cubie” in school for being a perfectionist, actually first learned about franchising as early as the 1960s.  He transferred to San Beda College from St. Stephen in his fourth grade and from being a member of the lowly Section H Class, Samie finished high school as class Valedictorian.

When he attended college at the Ateneo de Manila University, he engaged in part-time jobs selling roses in exclusive schools on special occasions like Valentine’s. He also sold encyclopedia before joining Abenson in the 1960s. 

His humble beginnings as a businessman also educated him on the importance of hard work. Lim’s first job was with SAVE Marketing owned by the Bagatsings and Floros where he sold discount cards for students when he was in high school.  

From his days of being an employee to venturing out on his own through BLIMS Fine Furniture,  Automatic Centre, and now the Canadian Tourism and Hospitality Institute,  Lim never became a stranger to life’s difficulties. This is one of the reasons why his heart always went out to the entrepreneur. He knows their difficulties and concerns simply because he has and is living their lives to this day.

His dedication to the cause of Philippine franchising spurred him to travel to many countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, where franchising is an established industry. Lim brought home the many lessons and insights he gained from his visits so that other local franchisers can apply it to their own ventures.

The 20 years that Lim spent strengthening the industry saw the birth and introduction of many brands in the Philippine market.  These catered to the tastes, needs, and whims of Filipino consumers.  

Together with Ma. Alegria “Bing” Sibal- Limjoco, vice chair of PFA, he established Francorp Philippines to help more franchisers standardize and professionalize their operations.

Lim believes that these franchise concepts will be embraced in Asean where countries have similar taste profiles as he vowed to rally behind these Filipino concepts to ensure their success not just in Southeast Asia, but also in other parts of the world.

Lim, who is also the chairman emeritus of Philippine Retailers Association, said the Philippines is expected to attract more foreign brands—from the mass market to luxury segments—as global retailers are starting to notice the vastly improved purchasing power of Filipinos.

In his presentation at the recently concluded 4th Annual World Retail Congress Asia Pacific in Singapore, Lim cited close to 50 global brands that entered the Philippines in the last two years. Included are American casual and European high-street fashion items, as well as luxury brands like Bentley and Rolls Royce.

“This is a clear indication that people now have more disposable income.  For food, we literally have hundreds of franchises that came in.  Luxury goods also continued to perform at robust levels.  This was a direct result of the improvement in consumer purchasing power.  For many years, luxury brands seem to ignore the Philippine market.  But to those who gambled, it was all worth the wait,” Lim told an audience  consist of representatives from global firms and international retail experts.

To fully support franchisers, Lim joined hands with other industry stakeholders to ensure that FAPHL 2014, Asia’s biggest 4-in-1 franchise show slated on July 16 to 20 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, would equip them with the necessary tools to succeed in the AEC. 

Franchise Asia Philippines 2014 is organized by the PFA – the country’s premier and only internationally recognized franchise association and the organization of the country’s topnotch franchisers – from small to large, both foreign and homegrown.  It is a premier event that brings together key franchise players in the domestic and international fronts and will also include sessions that focus on ASEAN integration and its impact on franchising.

It will give franchises ideas on the kind of opportunities they can take advantage of in the AEC as well as the roadblocks that will come their way.  The event will also give them an idea on whether or not they have a competitive advantage in a particular field, how they can keep it, and strengthen it.  

Now on its 22nd edition, the country’s longest running franchise show and widely recognized as Asia’s biggest franchise event will feature a two-day International Franchise Conference (July 16 to 17), a three-day One Stop Shop International Franchise Expo (July 18 to 20), a Certified Franchise Executive Program (July 14 to 15), and educational seminars for would-be franchisors and would-be franchisees (July 18 to 20).

For inquiries, please call the PFA Secretariat at (632) 687-0365 to 67 or (63917) 832-0732, or e-mail [email protected] (general inquiries); [email protected] (conference) or [email protected] (expo).