Franchise industry eyes expansion despite crisis

MANILA, Philippines - The local franchise industry is gearing up to expand and extend its local and foreign market reach even in the face of the global crisis.

Many members of the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) are preparing for Franchise 2009, the 17th Philippine International Franchise Conference and Expo (PIFCE) in Manila this year, strongly optimistic about attracting established enterprises and new entrepreneurs to join this ever-thriving consumer-oriented industry.

PFA chair Bing S. Limjoco said the industry’s optimism was based on franchising’s consistent success in both good and hard times, having ably surmounted the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the other dark years when the economy suffered negative growth.

Limjoco also ruled out any enormous future decline in domestic consumption that could cripple the industry, citing the continued deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), the steady inflow of their dollar remittances, the stable property market, and the sustained boom in tourism and back office outsourcing (BPO) businesses.

“Even the returning OFWs and retiring migrant Filipinos can remain lucratively productive through our franchised businesses,” Limjoco said.

“Franchising does well in good times and even better in challenging times.  There are many retirees, retrenched workers, who are looking for investment or business opportunities.  Those who bought a franchise in 1997 are now regulars in the golf course,” she added.

“Most importantly, we have a young consumption-oriented population unlike the mature and ageing markets of the highly-industrialized countries hardest hit by the crisis,” Limjoco further pointed out.

“And with our young and large population whose zillions of needs are fully matched by the products and services of the highly-creative members of the PFA, market demand will remain up and the economy can post decent growth of probably not less than three percent,” Limjoco predicted.

She said the industry would continue to come out with innovative but market-tested business concepts, churning out exciting and irresistible products to stimulate consumption, hastening the velocity of money in changing hands to benefit more people, promoting entrepreneurship to create jobs, and widening the domestic capital base to expand the national economy.

All these novel business concepts and well-established homegrown enterprises and foreign brands will be showcased at the PFA’s Franchise Expo 2009 slated at the SMX Convention on July 3 to 5.

Organized by PFA, Franchise 2009 is co-presented by PLDT Business Solutions and Seaoil, sponsored by the Generics Pharmacy, PLDT SME Nation, Quali Plus Int’l, Max’s Restaurant, Manels, 7-Eleven, Goldilocks, Mister Donut, PR Gaz Haus, Francorp, Montanara, Jollibee, Red Ribbon, Subway, HBC, Blue Water Day Spa, BPI Family Savings Bank, Coca Cola, Selecta, Pepsi, the Philippine Star, Manila Bulletin, Panay News, Business World, Philstar.com, Entrepreneur Magazine, Wave 89.1, Ayala Malls, Araneta Center, Shangri-La Plaza, Robinsons Malls, AM Cleofe Prints, Asian Productivity Organization and the Development Academy of the Philippines, and supported by the Asia Pacific Franchise Confederation and the World Franchise Council.

The expo has been consistently successful in attracting both exhibitors and visitors, posting last year an 18 percent increase over 2007, with 244 companies occupying 295 booths spanning about a hectare of exhibit space. 

The expo showcases the best business opportunities from the franchise industry, ranging from established and successful brands to new and promising concepts in food, retail and services at various levels of investment requirements.