A meeting point of the global franchise market

14th International KEM Franchise Exhibition is taking place on the 2-5 March 2012 at Athens, Greece

Despite its ongoing financial crisis, Greece is still an evolved market with a dynamic and growing franchise sector that offers great opportunities for the development of international franchise chains.

It is true that people are more cautious with investing since the financial crisis, yet franchising has continued to grow. More and more people in Greece intend to open a business, but only as part of a big well-organised team.

The 14th KEM International Franchise exhibition, one of the most established exhibitions in the world, states that franchising can turn the crisis into an opportunity, and presents companies with the chance to expand in Greece, the Balkans and the Arab countries.

Aiming to present innovative concepts to a broader audience, KEM Franchise Exhibition will be held under the auspices of the Arab-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Development, seeking to attract a considerable number of visitors from the Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait.

This year's exhibition will be organised in cooperation with the Chambers of Commerce of the Southeast Europe countries, aiming also to attract visitors from the Balkans who are willing to develop franchise concepts in their countries, for example Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Fyrom, Albania, Romania and Turkey.

KEM International Franchise Exhibition is in a prime position as the meeting point of the global franchise market, presenting new and innovative concepts available domestically and internationally.

The exhibition has become a prestigious institution in the franchise industry during the past 13 years, as more than 500 companies have participated and have successfully developed their networks throughout Greece. The efficiency of the exhibition, which has been recognised as a '5 star' exhibition by international magazines, has contributed to the growth of the franchises industry in Greece: 650 chains, 185 from which come from the international market, 19,400 franchise owners.

Last year's exhibition attracted 5,500 determined buyers originating from Greece and abroad. This demonstrates that even in times of economic pressures, visitors are willing to invest but only as a part of a well established franchise. It is worth noting, that 18 per cent of the visitors of KEM 2011 were interested in purchasing a brand name with international appeal, thus a concept from the international market.

Franchise opportunities will be exhibiting from the following sectors:

• Food & beverage
• Clothing, shoes, accessories
• Health & beauty, personal care
• Service provision
• Education & training
• Home furnishing
• Toys, gifts
• Green energy & eco friendly products
• Car services
• Vending machines
• Miscellaneous

The 14th International KEM Franchise Exhibition will, also, be held under the auspices of the National Confederation of Hellenic Commerce, the Franchise Association of Greece, the European Franchise Federation (EFF) and the World Franchise Centre (WFC).

This article was provided by Mr. Maximilianos Konstantinides, President of KEM SA. , Member of the Franchise Association of Greece.