Business Reporter
DOHA: A four-day International Franchising and Branding Exhibition started off yesterday, enabling the global brands to scout for business partners or local representatives in Qatar.
The exhibition – featuring about 22 countries including the US, the UK, Germany, Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Portugal, the GCC, Singapore – was inaugurated by Qatar Chamber of Commerce board member Mohamed bin Ahmed Tawar al-Kuwari at the Qatar International Exhibition Centre.
“Qatar has been experiencing a sound economic growth and an influx of more expatriates. This opens up a new dimension in the spending habit and buying power of consumers because of high disposable incomes,” said Nabil al-Jaouni, executive manager of Petra Business Solutions, the organiser of the expo.
He said the exhibition comes at a time when Qatar is diversifying from hydrocarbon industry and idea is to bring international and popular brand names and franchise to make the country as a “strategic springboard” to the rest of the GCC and the Middle East.
The expo will provide a venue to showcase international and local products and brands to be promoted on the global scale, and which will much be seen from the GCC.
The organisers claimed that about 50 companies are participating in the
exposition.
The exhibition will create a business opportunity for companies to promote their concept and find the partner for the Qatar market, and offers an environment to hold face-to-face meetings with successful entrepreneurs and investors from the Qatar market and the Middle East, they said.
Besides fast food chains and opportunities for franchising, the expo also features prospects in other industries including automotive service centres, beauty salons, clothes, fashion, education, testing centers, dry cleaning/laundry shops and photocopy stores.
|
