Most investors were shopping for local and regional brands

Dubai, May 14, 2012: Franchise UAE 2012, the annual national franchise and trade show, which concluded in Dubai on May 10, triggered nearly 60 deals roughly valued at over $50 million, with the focus shifting from master franchising to unit franchising.

Gaurav Marya, Managing Director of Franchise Middle East, organisers of the two-day trade show, said this year saw local and regional brands getting greater attention, demonstrating that franchising was gaining momentum in the Gulf. Trends also showed that small entrepreneurs were entering a field that was earlier monopolized by big groups or family-owned conglomerates.

"This year's show saw a record number of investors visiting the show and shopping for home-grown brands, a proof that the SMEs and entrepreneurs are keen to be part of the franchising industry, which is said to be growing at 27 per cent annually in the Gulf," said Marya. "We saw a large number of regional entrepreneurs and investors showing great interest in local brands. This augurs well for the franchising industry in the Middle East and we can expect greater maturity in this sector in the near future."

Among exhibitors that reported phenomenal response were UAE's Binhendi; Italian restaurant chain Ci Gusta; Bahrain's Shawarma Express; the world's largest fitness brand Anytime Fitness promoted by its Qatari master franchisee; the Indian beauty salon chain Naturals; BG Cleaning System from Iceland and UAE's Instant Skin, which specializes in personalizing mobile phones, electronic devices and gadgets using customers' own pictures, creative designs and patterns.

"Many of the exhibitors were confident of clinching immediate deals and opening multiple outlets in new markets within six months," said Marya. "We were delighted to see a significant number of Emirati and Arab visitors showing great in relatively smaller franchise brands, rather than chasing the big international brands. We expect to see many of the initial talks to be converted into business deals worth millions of dirhams with the next six months."

The Middle East is estimated to have over 400,000 high net worth individuals (HNIs), each with liquid assets of more than $5 million, making it an ideal region for the growth of franchising and SMEs.

The main sponsors of Franchise UAE were Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) and Anytime Fitness, while Dubai SME was the strategic partner. The show was supported by Heels and Deals and IBPC Dubai, and by media partners Infobahn Consultancy, AZ Franchising Italy, RadioMe, Al Ansari Hospitality, My UAE Guide and Mobishastra Technologies LLC.

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About Franchise Middle East
Franchise Middle East offers integrated business solutions in Franchising, Licensing, Retailing, Real Estate and Marketing in Middle East, Franchise Middle East (ME) is the overseas arm of Franchise India Holding Ltd. Assessing current & emerging business horizon for enabling brands as well as aspiring investors, Franchise ME is dedicated towards fostering Regional Entrepreneurship Collaboration, between India & Middle East.

Franchise India is Asia's largest integrated franchise solution company since 1999, an authority on Franchising, Licensing, Retailing, Real estate and Marketing. The company has consulted several major brands over these years like Peter England, Barista, Booster Juice, Videocon, Perfect Wellness, Satya Paul, Bwitch, Action Coach, HCL, MGF, Quality Walls, Tata, Gitanjali, HSBC, Levis, JK Tyres, Lakme, D'damas, Adidas, Euro Kidz, The Apollo Clinic, Chhabra 555, Kidzee, Motilal Oswal, Rosebys, Next, and more, through media, advisory and exhibitions. With its strategically formed divisions, Franchise India has created its own niche as the pioneers of franchise industry and small businesses.

For Media queries, please contact: Anthony F. D'Silva, PO Box 50411, Dubai, UAE. Phone: +97150 4571624 email: anthony@communicategulf.com.

FRANCHISE MIDDLE EAST, 802, Business Village, Deira, P.O. Box 22554, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Phone: +971 4 2368568 | Fax: +971 4 2368677. Visit:  http://www.franchiseuae.com

© Press Release 2012