Archíve 11.2007

The expiration dates on salad containers at several McDonald's restaurants were altered by a franchise holder so that they could be kept on the shelves longer, McDonald's Japan said Tuesday. The company will cancel its franchise agreement with Athlete Co., a Japanese company that acknowledged mislabeling at two of its four McDonald's restaurants in central Tokyo, according to Shotaro Shimizu, a McDonald's spokesman.

The FranSearch GmbH based in Tönisvorst near Düsseldorf has started its activity in 2007. It is the goal of the company to find people that are eager to found their own business primarily for the franchise industry.

ONE of the UK's biggest shopping centre cafe operators is eyeing a move to the Capital as it plans a major expansion. BB's Coffee and Muffins launched in 1997 and has quickly grown into a franchising giant, with 170 stores across the UK and Ireland.

Before you buy a franchise, know your rights. Buying a franchise is not like making an investment or buying a job, and there is no "money-back" guarantee,' says Cathryn Hayes, head of franchising at HSBC. 'You are starting a business, and that involves risk.' As a franchisee, you are self employed, so rights which apply to employees will not extend to you.

Enterprises in an increasing number of sectors, such as hotels and education, are tapping the franchise market in China, said experts. Different from previous sessions, which were largely dominated by catering businesses, a number of hotels attended the latest Franchising China conference and exhibition held recently in Beijing. They included foreign hotels Super 8, Holiday Inn Express as well as domestic hotels Home Inn and Jinjiang Inn.

FRANCHISES are “a very risky investment'' according to the presiding member of a State Government inquiry into franchising laws. The South Australian Parliament's Economic and Finance Committee is holding the inquiry to examine disclosure of information to potential franchisees, along with dispute resolution processes and formal requirements for franchises.

The franchise industry in Oman has hit the mark, with the country gearing up for the first of its kind exclusive event for franchising, showcasing an array of franchise concepts. Luring both regional and international franchisors from across sectors, the 'Franchise Expo 2008' will set the stage for franchises and entrepreneurs to form strategic alliances. Organised by Oman International Trade & Exhibitions the event is scheduled to take place from February 13 to 16, 2008 at the Oman International Exhibition Centre.

The Security Services Association of Malaysia wants the Government to blacklist security guard companies involved in illegal franchising — the reason for business undercutting and low wages of security guards.  A licence holder would let several other operators use his or her licence with a fee and the latter would undercut each other to get the business at any cost, said the association’s acting president Shaheen Mirza Habib.

Franchising Middle East Exhibition 2008 (FME) is an exclusive International event offering an unparalleled opportunity for franchisors to access entrepreneurs and investors concluded on a high note. The event will be held between 18 - 20 May  2008 at the Dubai World Trade Center, United Arab Emirates.

The growth of the hotel market in Europe will be driven by branding and franchising, according to leading industry figures. Speaking at Deloitte's 19th European hotel investment conference in London last week, operators, owners and investors said translating investment into businesses that can get on their feet quickly will be critical to growth in 2008.

Franchising has become an increasingly popular method of starting a new business. This popularity is fuelled by a number of factors. Individuals looking for a change in employment status are often attracted by the possibility of starting a business, whether it is simply to be their own boss or with the aim of becoming a multimillionaire.

One of the best ways to keep any business operating successfully is by continually measuring and comparing its performance against industry averages, and to do this business operators are turning to benchmarking. More and more businesses are taking advantage of smart, industry-savvy benchmarking guides to beat competitors at their own game.

The Franchise Council of Australia has urged West Australian premier Alan Carpenter not to go ahead with its planned state inquiry into franchising, saying it would ''vigorously oppose'' any attempts to introduce state regulation.

Durban - Despite many black people owning franchises in the quick service restaurant sector, holding companies have not transformed at the ownership level as most of them do not have empowerment partners.The seven companies interviewed by Business Report were either still discussing black economic empowerment (BEE) or were not willing to comment on it. Two indicated that their businesses were almost ruined when they tried to find empowerment partners.

At the apex of a very small group of Montreal lawyers specializing in franchising is Lapointe Rosenstein LLP's Alex Konigsberg, who says he may have talked more companies out of exporting their brand to other countries than counseling them how to do it.

The franchising exhibition of Marseille, Top Franchise Mediterranean will take place from 12 to 13 November 2007 at the Palace of Congress of Parc Chanot in Marseille, France. This year 4 000 visitors will have the unique possibility to meet others 100 new expositors. The exhibition is aimed at promotion and development of franchising and fair trade in the Mediterranean region. It is the unique meeting point that gathers together representatives from many different spheres of business activity.

"Be My Dealer” Franchising & Brand Dealership trade fair will be held between 13-16 December 2007 at the İstanbul Fair Center. The organization will be made by Media Force Exhibitions with the cooperation of UFRAD (Turkish Franchising Association).

The Kopeika retail chain has said it will buy out its franchisees' stores, if they want to sell them. It has made the move after seeing some of its franchisees offered to sell their stores to rival chains. In late 2005, Pyaterochka acquired the 25-store Retail Trade Network, a Kopeyka franchisee based in the Moscow Region.

Since 1996 franchise-net is the number one provider of information and contacts regarding the franchise business.

Since the summer period, numerous visitors had already registered in the Internet site of the exhibition of TOP Franchise Mediterranean 2007. The analyses of profiles are very promising.