The Global Franchise Market Exhibition Concludes in Dubai Today

New franchise concepts in Food, Education and Lifestyle highlighted

Dubai – United Arab Emirates, 6 December, 2018: The Global Franchise Market Exhibition (TGFM) – the official franchising event in Dubai, successfully concluded at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre today, with a remarkable participation from the leading franchise establishments from the region and abroad. The 2-day premier franchise event, held under the patronage of the Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED),showcasedcreative franchise concepts, analyzed the advantages of responsible franchising and explored latest methods to grow and expand businesses in the UAE, Middle East and North Africa region.

As new franchise concepts take root every day, the franchising industry is witnessing a wave of new opportunities in F &B, education, fashion, lifestyle, wellness, healthcare and service sectors. While the advantages of owning a franchise business are many, it is essential for investors topick the right programs and partners as well as explore the latest trends and practices to maximize the fortunes of franchising.

The franchise market in the UAE and the Middle East market is growing rapidly with a number of key diversified sectors bracing themselves for new franchise businesses. This year, TGFM witnessed the participation of over 100 exhibiting brands from 80 countries including: Finland, Canada, France, USA and the UK, Malaysia, Singapore, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egyptand the UAE amongst others. In addition, the exhibition represented various key sectors of theeconomy including: Food and Beverage, Fashion and Lifestyle, Education, Health and Beauty, Retail and Service to name a few. Moreover, TGFM hosted 3 exclusive pavilionsrepresenting Malaysia, Kuwait and Canada, which offered participating companies a unique opportunity to learn about the local market and interact with potential partners and investors.

While the UAE in general and Dubai in particular still remains a go-to destination for F & B brands to set up franchisees and leverage business expansion opportunities, TGFM witnessed a new trend as many fashion, lifestyle and educational brands were interested to explore the regional market. With a rich and diverse portfolio representing all the key sectors of the economy, TGFM offered a unique platform for all representing brands to expand and leverage business opportunities.

Speaking about their participation in the 3rd TGFM exhibition, Peh Yi Han, COO, Mulberry Learning, Singapore, said, “This was our first participation in TGFM and we were glad that our debut was successful. As a leading education provider in Singapore, our goal is to seek new business partners who could facilitate our expansion into the Middle East region and TGFM offered a perfect platform to meet our objectives.Franchising in the education sector in the UAE has entered its growth phase and is filled with opportunities for preschools. Today, more and more parents are starting to appreciate the value of quality early childhood education and we are hopeful that with the help of our franchise partners, we will be able to ride on this trend enabling our proprietary systems, to expand and grow their businesses.”

He added, “We have a unique preschool offering – not only have we been awarded as Singapore’s Best Preschool for 3 years running, we are also the first and the only preschool in the world to offer the Habits of MindTM, a framework for intelligent thinking and behavior. We believe that children in Dubai and the UAE will be able to benefit tremendously from our programs, similar to how thousands of children in Singapore, Australia and China have, over the years.”
On his part, Rajan Madhu, Chairman, Global Marketing Management- DWC LLC, said, “Recognized as a leader in the field of fashion, glamour and lifestyle, this year, GMM not only offered a product but a whole new lifestyle concept at TGFM, which is an affordable luxury segment. In addition, GMM showcased its biggest and most visible brands such as: F Salon, F Café, F Beverages and Indus Restaurant. We were greatly pleased that our brands appealed to discerning investors who wish to be associated with glamour and exciting business in the UAE.”

He added, “We were very impressed by some of the international franchise models and home-grown brands present in Dubai. There is a very big opportunity to expand franchise opportunities in this region. Our brand is in affordable luxury category and sowe were seeking partners in this niche segment which is slowly establishing itself as a key segment in the region.”

From his side, Nathen Mazri, Co-Founder and Chief Entergage Officer, GarfieldEATS App, said, “GarfieldEATSproudly participated for the first time in TGFM in Dubai, which is a land of innovation and unity. At the official franchise event in Dubai, GarfieldEATSlaunched the world’s first entertaining and engaging Quick Mobile Restaurant (QMR) app, which is a response to today’s digital trend, offering users an opportunity to watch and even play in augmented reality as they wait for the world’s only Garfield-shaped pizza.”
He added, “GarfieldEATS is more than just a restaurant app for ordering, and it is a health-conscious brand with strict Farm2Plate (F2P) guidelines on supply sourcing guaranteeing no Genetically Modified Organisms, no preservatives and no artificial colors. In a short period of time, GarfieldEATS has witnessed downloads increasing at an accelerating rate of 300% per month on all devices and 35% increase in sales monthly in Dubai. As part of our vision,GarfieldEATS quick mobile restaurant app aims to expand globally in 200 cities by 2025 with over 20 million downloads in total users.”
The Global Franchise Market (TGFM), is organized annually by INDEX Conferences and Exhibitions – a member of INDEX Holding with the support of the Department of Economic Development – Dubai and under the strategic partnership of Franchise Souq and Francorp Middle East.