Funeral homes, as well as drug-rehabilitation centers, are now exploring the possibility of franchising their businesses, according to the Philippine Franchisers Association (PFA).
PFA Chairman Emeritus Samie Lim said two funeral homes have already approached him and asked him how they can go about franchising their business.
Lim also said drug-rehabilitation centers can also look into franchising because of the demand. He said, instead of killing drug abusers, households can explore rehabilitating them instead.
“Many funeral homes are now asking my company [Francorp] how they can go into franchising. They want to franchise the funeral home business. I would suspect that a bigger business would really be the drug-rehabilitation center rather than funeral homes,” Lim said.
Lim said another big venture in the next five years will focus on pet care, including pet hotels, grooming centers, fashion and even pet funeral homes.
He said more and more Filipinos are looking for ways to pamper their furry friends and provide them with the best care, even in the afterlife.
“We have more of people in the pet care or pet grooming, to mind pets, pet medical or pet hotel. If they pass away, they don’t want to bury their pets in the backyard so pet funeral homes is going to come in a big way in the next five years,” Lim said.
Apart from these, PFA President Dr. Alan Escalona said some drug- testing centers are also looking at franchising as a way to expand their business, adding that inquiries on drug-testing services have increased in recent months.
Escalona said this is one of the ways to increase their revenues, especially since there are only a few accredited drug-testing centers nationwide.
“I have a feeling that drug tests will be done more often. Currently, there are only a few authorized drug testing centers in the Philippines,” Escalona said.
Overall, PFA International Expo of Franchise Asia Philippines 2016 Chairman Sherill Quintana said the PFA is encouraging more innovative ideas to come forward and franchise their unique business concepts.
Quintana said this is one of the goals of having the expo—to become a venue for new and upcoming concepts that can eventually become global brands.
Lim said at least 150 new global brands are already looking at the Philippines to become their next investment destination. These brands come from countries, like Thailand, Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, among others.
“Filipino global franchise brands are a testament of the potential of the Philippines to be a producer of world-class brands,” Quintana said. Apart from expanding their businesses nationwide, Quintana said there is also demand for local brands to franchise abroad. By expanding abroad, local brands can bring the Philippines’s products to various parts of the globe.
This, Quintana said, can boost the country’s exports. Quintana is also the CEO of Oryspa, a homegrown brand offering rice bran-based spa products. Among the Filipino global brands that will be joining this year’s expo come from Max’s Group Inc., whose brands’ overseas expansion are making headlines recently.
These include Max’s Restaurant, which will open in Qatar, Yellow Cab in the United Arab Emirates, and soon in China; and the inking of a deal for the opening of five Pancake House restaurants in Qatar.
Also joining Franchise Asia Philippines Expo 2016 are Goldilocks, which has more than a dozen stores in US and Canada; Bibingkinitan, which recently opened in Dubai; Potato Corner, which is present not only in Asian markets like Indonesia but is also doing well in the US, the birthplace of French fries; and Figaro, whose growing global footprint includes the Middle East and Oceania.
“Filipino global franchise brands are a testament of the potential of the Philippines to be a producer of world-class brands,” Quintana said. With the theme “Building Inclusive Growth Amidst a Hypercompetitive World,” Franchise Asia Philippines 2016—Asia’s biggest four-in-one franchise show—is a weeklong event organized by the PFA.
It is the country’s centerpiece capacity-building event for the Philippine franchise sector, as well as the organization’s principal activity to promote franchising as a tool to create businesses and generate jobs. It averages about 1,000 conference delegates and 45,000 expo visitors every year.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes