K.I.Asia NewsBytes
Partnering for Sustainable Development:  March 2007 (#94)

Global Franchising Project: helping Thai franchise businesses enter international markets
K.I.Asia is providing assistance and support to more than 20 Thai franchise businesses to expand internationally in the “Global Franchising” project. The project is funded by the Thai government’s Department of Business Development (DBD) and supported by the Department of Export Promotion and the Department of Intellectual Property, all under the Ministry of Commerce. The objective is to help Thai franchises establish a foothold in such promising markets as Vietnam, Malaysia, China, Laos, Cambodia and Dubai.
The project provides training in overseas franchise expansion, legal support for intellectual property protection and registration in target countries, market intelligence, marketing support for promotional trips and business matching.
 
The project’s expected outcomes include:
• Each franchise owner will complete a course on franchise management and develop an extensive business plan for international expansion
• Franchise management will have appropriate marketing and legal knowledge for expansion into target overseas markets
• Each participating company will have suitable English brochures for promotion of its franchise in the global market
• A minimum of 20 companies will have promoted their franchises in one or more foreign markets
• Interested business partners will be identified and introduced in prospective market countries for each of these companies,

K.I.Asia enlisted more than 40 Thai franchises to participate in the program. After training, business planning and evaluation, the number of participants was cut to the 20 top prospects. These companies represent many promising franchise businesses, including:
• Spas – Aromavera Spa, Spa of Siam, O2 Spa and Borntras "Natural Home"
• Food services – Black Canyon Coffee House, Chokdee Dimsum, EZ'S German Sausages, Neo Suki Restaurant, Spicchio Italian Restaurant, To-Sit "The Recreation Restaurant", The Coffee Maker and Yentafo Kruengsonge
• Car care – Car-Lack 68
• Fashion – Nobody Jeans and Pata Jewelcloning
• Environmental services – Wongpanich Recycling Management
• Internet – API Net
• Furniture – Index
• Education – Smart Brain and Smart English

The project was kicked off in June 2006 with the first training on “How to go Global.” Experts from a variety of businesses assisted in the training, including Mr. Narongsak Phacharoen, from King’s Collection - a successful exporter of Thai-style products to markets all over the world, the franchise teams from Charoen Pokphand (CP) and Black Canyon, as well as franchise legal advisors from Baker & McKenzie.

In July, Mr. Charles Weeks, a leading franchise consultant from the U.S. who has more than 30 years of general and international franchising experience, provided group training and one-on-one consultation in international franchising practices. The individual consultation sessions proved to be valuable to each company as Mr. Weeks was able to provide useful advice on the international expansion plans developed by each franchise.

The K.I.Asia<