30 brands up for grabs in franchise exhibit

30 food and non-food brands are being offered for franchising at the three-day Franchise Visayas 2016 (CDN PHOTO / MARITES VILLAMOR ILANO

Some 30 food and non-food brands are being offered for franchising at the three-day Franchise Visayas 2016, which opened Friday at the Ayala Center Cebu.

The event, organized by the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA), is a prelude to Franchise Asia Philippines 2016, considered the biggest franchise event in Asia which is set for July 20-24 at the SMX Convention Center in Manila.

Through the exhibit, the group also hopes to reach out to small and start-up brands in the Visayas and Mindanao, said PFA president Alan Escalona.

“This year, PFA intends to mentor or guide start-ups which are afraid to venture to bigger cities. PFA’s role is to help young entrepreneurs go into franchising and grow their businesses,” Escalona said.

As of last year, PFA members have opened 134,000 franchised outlets and created 1.2 million jobs, said PFA chairman emeritus Samie Lim.

The franchise industry has also helped boost the services sector, currently the biggest contributor to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Escalona, who is also president and CEO of Fruit Magic and CEO of Quicklean Franchise Solutions, Inc., said the industry usually expands by 10 percent to 12 percent yearly.

“(The) franchising (industry) does well in good times and bad,” he added.

Among the exhibitors at the ongoing franchise exhibit at the Ayala Center Cebu is Max’s Group, Inc., which offers seven brands, namely Jamba Juice, Dencio’s, Max’s Restaurant, Pancake House, Sizzling Steak, Teriyaki Boy, and Yellow Cab.

Big names like Jollibee, Goldilocks, 7-Eleven, Goto King, Kumon and The Generics Pharmacy are also featured.

Homegrown brands like Choobi Choobi, Dessert Factory, Julie’s Bakeshop, Magic Melt, Body and Sole, Beauty and Beyond, Valen Antoine and Islands Souvenirs are also there.

Lim said more than 20 brands developed in Cebu have gone national and established company-owned and franchised outlets in Metro Manila and other key cities in the country. Some Cebuano brands have also gone international, like Penshoppe, Lim said.

At the Franchise Asia Expo in July, Escalona said about 600 brands will be featured, including about 50 international companies that are looking for master franchisees in the Philippines. There will be international brands from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea, and Taiwan as well as from the U.S. and Europe.