Exceeding the target of RM275 million trade deals, the 15th Franchise International Exhibition 2008 (FIM2008) closed at a total of RM283.3 million upon closing of the exhibition. «Franchising has proven to be the preferred way of business despite the global economic crisis such as rising oil prices as we only expected to see a rise of 10% in the industry. Instead, we see an increase of over 13% » commented Dato'Mukhriz Tun Dr. Mahathir, Chairman of Malaysian Franchise Association (MFA).
The Food & Beverage sector remains popular by contributing about 63% (RM179.4 million) of the total trade deals, followed by Retailing at RM40.8 (14.4%) million worth of franchise deals closed. Other sectors such as Services contributed RM23.2 million or  8.2%, Education and Training – RM7.3 million (2.6%), Health & Beauty – RM6.4 million (2.3%), Travel & Tourism – RM5.3 million (1.9%) and other sectors – RM20.9 million (7.4%).
Dato' Mukhriz went on to add that «This success the franchising industry has enjoyed thus far lies in the consistent efforts of being promoted as a proven business system and the tremendous support received from the various government agencies in creating a larger pool of new entrepreneurs in Malaysia ». The highly successful FIM2008 had just ended on Sunday and witnessed close to 9,000 quality visitors from 1-3 August 2008 at the Putra World Trade Centre. Over 110 booths were occupied by both local and foreign franchise companies such as USA, Australia, Italy, Egypt, Brazil, Switzerland, Korea, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, UAE and Taiwan, while the rest are aggressive local companies.
Home grown franchisors with brand names such as Marrybrown, Smart Reader, Reliance, D'Tandoor and 1901 Hot Dog took part in the FIM2008 this year. There was also a revival of a 1980s Malaysian brand 'Sate Ria', which has been given a new lease of life and now equipped with a franchise format. There were also new Malaysian brands that made an entrance this year, such as Ani Sup Utara (Food & Beverage), Amethyst Light & Deco, Allcare Pharmahealth and Kamal Kamal (pest control services).
Many international brand names participated in the franchise fair, namely McDonald's, Delifrance, Cartridge World and more. The three-day fair was packed with various programs such as an international conference, seminars, opportunity workshops and special programs especially tailored for the benefit of foreign delegates. Delegates of the international conference and seminar enjoyed the presentations of local and international speakers who parted with invaluable knowledge, experience and tips.
YABhg Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia and patron of Malaysian Franchise Association (MFA) delivered a keynote presentation entitled 'World Without Franchising' to a rousing audience as a closing to the National Seminar of FIM2008. A question and answer session ensued after his presentation on issues such as selecting the right franchise and ways of globalizing Islamic pre-education system.
Held concurrently with FIM2008, MFA also played host to bi-annual meeting of World Franchise Council (WFC) and the Asia Pacific Franchise Confederation (APFC) annual meeting, held concurrently with FIM2008. Leaders of the world franchise associations provided country updates on franchising as well as exchanged ideas and outlined the future plan of action for the industry. Both the WFC and APFC enjoyed the largest meeting participation. WFC was represented by 22 out of 38 franchise associations while APFC saw the participation of 8 members out of 13. According to Mr. John O'Brien, Chairman of Asia Pacific Franchise Confederation (APFC) and Chairman of Franchise Council of Australia that Malaysia is a choice destination in South East Asia for a variety of reasons great government support, thriving economic factor and English-speaking, which makes it easy to do business.

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Date: 04/09/2008
Source: FIM press and Infofranchise

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