Franchising Middle East achieves huge success

The show, which concluded on March 4, saw participation from 61 exhibitors, representing a wide range of both regional and international brands. Some 2892 visitors attended the event, looking for both established and new and unique franchising options to bring to the Middle East.

"Participation in FME 2010 has been very positive and we received a lot of quality visitors. We look forward to participating next year,"

said Michael Fell, manager, Fresh Food, one of the Emarat franchises showcased at the show.

"As the real estate market is presently correcting itself a lot of investors are pulling their money from real estate into food franchising as it is very stable and easy option for them. Emarat, being a well known brand, is seen as a safe investment," he added.

Fresh Food is currently focusing on the UAE market and is in the process of opening six additional franchisees in Dubai, with openings in Media City and Downtown Jebel Ali amongst other locations.

International exhibitors also enjoyed success at FME, with a spate of new brand openings now expected in the region.

Yvone Lim, managing director of Ramenten Restaurant PTE. LTD, Singapore, the first and only Halal Japanese chain in Singapore, was particularly pleased with the outcome of her company's participation. She said, "We received a lot of interest from the GCC, Brazil, India and Pakistan markets. There is lot of opportunity for growth in the Middle East market for our product. We will also participate in FME next year as it is an ideal a platform for our growth in the Middle East market."

Indian food concept Dosa Plaza secured franchisors for its brand across the region, with three to four outlets expected to open in the Middle East and Africa in the near future.

Dosa is an Indian crepe made from rice and lentils. Dosa Plaza sells fusion dosa - combining the traditional dosa recipe with flavours from Asia, Mexico and Russia.

"We received tremendous response from Oman, East Africa, Jordan, Dubai and Abu Dhabi and are now seeking franchisors to bring our product to other parts of the world," said T Ganapathy, founder of Dosa Plaza.

FME is the region's only exhibition that offers a world of exciting opportunities to international franchisers to access the thriving Middle East and North Africa (MENA) market and launch their franchise concepts.

The exhibition facilitates direct communication between entrepreneurs and potential franchise buyers from the region and beyond.

FME is the largest international franchise exhibition in the Middle East and is supported by the IFA (International Franchise Association).

FME 2011 takes place from March 8-10 at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre.