UAE Leads the Way as Gateway for Franchising in the MENA Region

It is clearly observable that MENA consumers has always been brand- conscious and unrelenting in their pursuit for everything new and innovative, and as a result, the franchising industry in the MENA region is witnessing a great boom, including the Food and Beverage (F&B) sector which seems to be in high demand during the past couple of years.

In the GCC, retail, hospitality and food and beverage sectors have experienced significant growth in recent years. Some reports mentioned that the affluent consumer base and business-friendly environment in the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council proves a particularly attractive destination in the Middle East region.

It is also obvious that local entrepreneurs are very keen to record new success stories in this industry through presenting new funky yet healthy F&B concepts, such as: Under500, Urban Bites, and Skinny Genie, which are new restaurants and cafes with innovative and genuine menus and services that were recently launched in the UAE and succeeded in attracting enormous number of customers in a very limited period of time.

According to Saif Saeed Ghobash, Founding Partner of Urban Bites, diversity is essential. He said: “Today more than ever, we need a sustainable and healthy alternative to the fast food choices in the country. We need businesses that operate with high consideration to people’s health and the environment, and we need these businesses to source their material fairly and ethically.”

Urban Bites and many other new franchises are all gathering this autumn at the official franchising event in the region – The Global Franchise Market (TGFM) which will be running between the 29th and 30th of October 2017 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center under the theme Empowering Entrepreneurs, Creating Franchises. TGFM 2017 is held under the patronage of His Excellency Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, UAE, and is organized by INDEX Conferences & Exhibitions, a leading events-management company from Dubai, and in partnership with Franchise Souq; a specialized platform for marketing rights and franchise labels, and Francorp Middle East as Platinum Sponsor.

Mr. Mahmood Bartawi one of the founders of Under500, an innovative, healthy and home-style café concept said: “Dubai is favorable environment for the young entrepreneurs to start-up their business. It is also true that Emiratis are nurtured in many ways to start their own business.”

“We conceptualized Under500 because of the growing demand in healthy food. After the success of the 1st year and having opened two branches already, we see there is a big chance in franchising the concept and we look forward to our participation in TGFM 2017.” Added Fadi Ghaly, co-founder of Under500.

According to Dubai Chamber, the annual growth of franchising sector in the MENASA Region is 27% and worth around $30 billion. Eng. Anas Al Madani, Vice-Chairman and Group CEO of INDEX Holding, illustrated on this as he said: “despite the fact that the franchise industry is evolving in the GCC and MENA Regions, the UAE remains the most preferred destination for franchisors and franchisees, given its easy accessibility, stability of its legal and regulatory systems and its openness to foreign investment.”

Eng. Anas continued: “The UAE in general and Dubai in particular is a cultural melting pot, and with more than 220 nationality living on its land, the chance for any type of franchise to succeed is guaranteed. Studies show that Franchising has become a dominant business model in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, while successful franchisors took the UAE as base to enter the larger markets in the MENASA region and even Europe. Actually, many franchisors who participated in TGFM previous edition had already signed master franchises agreement in Japan, Morocco, Egypt, KSA and Pakistan.”

“The next edition of TGFM comes at a time when a large number of local franchisors are setting their eyes on the international market, taking advantage of Dubai being their winning ticket to enter the international market. In addition, there are several international brands expanding in the region who are looking forward to take advantage of the numerous opportunities present in region.” Continued Eng. Al Madani

From his side, Mr. Jassim Al- Bastaki, CEO of Franchise Souq said: “TGFM is a great medium for franchises looking to enter the MENA region to showcase their brands and connect with partners. Similarly, with a push in entrepreneurship in the MENA region, local franchises can capitalize on this opportunity to expand their brands. I believe that TGFM is in a pole position to be the MENA regions leading franchise exhibition. As a Co-founder of franchisesouq.com I decided to leverage the franchise online marketplace to help brands within the MENA region get maximum exposure and easily find entrepreneurs or investors. By doing this and having a great organizing team behind, TGFM is well on its way to be an internationally recognized franchise exhibition”.

In an endeavor to support the Franchise industry and help franchisors, franchisees, suppliers and investors to excel in their businesses, the Global Franchise Market Workshop at TGFM 2017 aims to educate franchisees, start-up business owners, and entrepreneurs in the region about the best practices for franchising, what to expect, and how to enter the franchising realm in the MENA region.

Imad Charafeddine, Chairman of Francorp Middle East talked about his participation at the TGFM and said: “We are extremely excited to host the second edition of The Global Franchise Market (TGFM) in the World Trade center (UAE). Through this event, we seek to educate, inform and spread awareness of the franchising know-how throughout the GCC and the Middle East regions and support businesses to franchise successfully on the local and international level. Franchising is the future growth and expansion solution for many small and medium business owners.

In another note, World Franchise Associates (WFA) is the promotional partner of The Global Franchise Market 2017 is working towards a common goal with TGFM that is boosting franchising business in the region. Christopher Brinkley Director of Events at WFA said: “We strongly recommend the opportunity for brands to exhibit and for investors to attend TGFM, and as WFA we will be reaching out to our clients and contacts to promote TGFM through our offices and Associates in Europe, the Gulf, MENA, CIS, Southeast Asia & North America.”

TGFM 2017 is an excellent opportunity for franchisees and entrepreneurs to meet franchise consultants and suppliers from the GCC region, Europe, Asia and the Americas. One of the suppliers participating this year is Skinny Genie, whom their wholesale division caters specifically to Hotels, Cafes and Restaurants and their concept adopts healthy and fresh gluten free solutions.

Additionally, TGFM is the perfect platform where franchise suppliers and marketers can connect with existing franchisors to market their products and services. It also offers ongoing education in relevant industry topics for all participants in the franchise industry.