 |  | FranchiseKey International – Over 8,000 Franchise and |
Franchise News - Article
10.10.2008
KEM World Franchise Exhibition: Venue of Opportunity for the Franchising Sector
Greece is an advanced market, with a dynamic, evolving Franchising sector, offering significant opportunities for the development of international chains. The country hosts one of the most important franchising exhibitions in the world.
The KEM World Franchise Exhibition will take place from the 20th until the 23rd of February 2009 in Athens, for the 11th consecutive year and it is organized by KEM – Exhibitions & Trade Shows S.A. The 11th KEM World Franchise Exhibition will be held at the Exhibition & Conference Centre of Attica (HELEXPO PALACE) and is expected to attract a record number of exhibitors and visitors both from Greece and abroad.
Last year’s Exhibition was visited by more than 18.000 individuals from 30 countries (Cyprus, Spain, France, G. Britain, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Ireland, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Russia, Latvia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Czech Republic, USA, Canada, Uruguay, Brazil, Singapore, Mexico, S. Africa, Egypt, Turkey, India, Malaysia, Australia), while it hosted more than 200 concepts, 60 out of which were from the international market, representing 17 countries (Greece, Cyprus, B. Britain, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Russia, Latvia, USA, Canada, Uruguay, Brazil and Singapore). In total more than 70% of international exhibitors have found a Master Franchisor and have already expanded their network in Greece.
This year, the number of visitors is expected to increase due to the growing
number of exhibitors and the variety of concepts they will have the chance to
explore. The increased exhibitor attendance in KEM 2009 will provide visitors
with multiple concept options to choose from.
The 11th KEM World Franchise
Exhibition is organized under the auspices of the National Confederation of
Hellenic Commerce, the Franchise Association of Greece, the European Franchise
Federation (EFF) and the World Franchise Council (WFC).
The Prospects of the Franchising Industry in Greece
Greece is considered a late franchise bloomer when compared to the United States or other European countries, such as France or the UK. The concept of franchising first arrived in Greece in the 1970's, but only experienced a booming growth since 1997.
Specifically, in 2006 1.509 new ventures went into business, while in 2007 this figure rose to 2.118 new ventures, thus showing an increase of 40.35%. Respectively, pilot stores (company-owned stores) increased by 48.43% and franchised stores by 93.47%.
In 2007 the number of franchise chains reached 596, while it is estimated that by the end of 2008 this number will have reached 650. The category with the largest number of chains (168) and stores (3.926) is the Clothing/Shoes/Accessories category, followed by the categories Miscellaneous, Food/Restaurant, Education, Services, Household Furnishing and Health/Beauty Services.
In addition, currently the total number of franchise stores operating in the Greek market is 16.996, with Greece achieving the highest rate of self-employed people across Europe (36.3%). An interesting aspect in the Franchising industry in Greece is that 30.2% of franchise chains are international concepts, developing successful operations in the country. Also, 19.73% of all investors are interested in acquiring a Master Franchise from an international franchise chain. Out of the 596 operating franchise systems in Greece, 180 are international brands.
Filter
