By Leslie Gatpolintan/PNA
MANILA — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is actively promoting Filipino brands abroad as more home-grown franchises are expected to penetrate markets overseas.
DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez said local franchises are coordinating with commercial attaches assigned in other countries “which are like their networks also”.
“Whenever they go to other countries, our commercial attaches in those countries are their tie-ups. And we are helping promote the franchising opportunities they give both to the mainstream market there not only Filipino communities,” he told reporters Wednesday on the sidelines of the opening of Franchise Asia Philippines 2019.
Lopez pointed out there are overseas Filipino workers who intend to invest in the Philippines, while there are foreigners carrying local franchise brands in their countries.
Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) president Richard Sanz said 30 Filipino brands have already penetrated markets overseas, and 70 more are expected to follow suit in three years, or by 2022.
Sanz said majority of these 30 brands is comprised of food franchises.
“The priority is really ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Asia Pacific because of proximity. What we see is brands are gravitated into those markets with heavy Filipino workers –Middle East, North America, West Coast, these are the usual (markets). What we are trying to do is for these new homegrown brands to tap into the other non-traditional markets. Anyway, what we are targeting is mainstream (market), not Filipinos,” he said in a separate interview.
Sanz noted the Philippines is the seventh country with highest number of franchise brands, following Korea, India, United States, Taiwan, Brazil, and France.
He said there are already 1,800 franchise brands in the country with total output of USD25 billion.
