Visayas franchising conference to showcase homegrown brands

The First Visayas Franchising Conference, which will be held this coming June will be showcasing Cebu's homegrown brands that have potentials to go national or international.

"We will be inviting investors from all over the Philippines, as well as other countries to come and see the Cebuano brands here that have good prospects for business presence in other areas in the country, as well as overseas," said Jay P. Aldeguer, the chairperson of the upcoming 1st Visayas Franchising Conference to held in Cebu in June this year.

The conference is part of the two-month celebration of the Cebu Business Month 2006 that is slated in the months of May and June.

"What we would like to do is while we convince other companies to open up franchise offers to Cebuano investors, we will also provide opportunities for Cebu-based companies to open franchise deals to outside entrepreneurs and bring out these home grown names to other areas in the country, or in the international market," Aldeguer said.

Aldeguer, whose company Islands Souvenirs Inc. (ISI) has successfully conquered the international market through franchising, is urging Cebuano-developed brands to take advantage of the franchise option in order to expand their businesses faster.

In fact, he said the largest franchise business in the country is a Cebu homegrown company, the Julie's Bakeshop, which has grown to over 500 outlets around the country through franchising.

Already, there are a growing number of Cebuano companies that are ready to take an aggressive move for franchise these include Bo's Coffee Club, Thirsty Fruit Juices, Body and Sole, and others.

"The objective is for the investors to look at what Cebu has to offer in terms of franchise opportunities," he stressed.

He urged Cebu homegrown companies to consider franchising as an option for growth at the same time providing opportunity for entrepreneurs to start up a business with lesser hassles.

He added that because of good prospects for franchising business and opportunities in Cebu, the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) is expected to be more aggressive in Cebu starting in the next few months.

Although, there are already several franchising conferences held in Cebu in the past, this upcoming conference is different because it will promote the local brands to open their businesses to investors in other areas.

In a span of 13 years, Aldeguer's ISI has now over 100 department store outlets, and 30 stand alone stores nationwide. Part of these outlets is operated by Filipino franchisees.

Through Island Souvenirs Franchise International, the company was able to break the international ground, having outlets in Singapore, Okinawa, Macau, and San Francisco.

Aside from the obvious example of the growth of his company through opening it to franchise offer, Aldeguer said Julie's Bakeshop example alone could already stimulate interest for other homegrown companies to take advantage of franchising in order to expand their businesses.