The increasingly important role that master franchises are playing in the globalisation of retail and the opening up of new markets, will take centre stage at MAPIC 2013.Organised by Reed MIDEM, MAPIC will be held in Cannes from 13 to 15 November. “Moving into new markets requires a thorough understanding of the laws in force in the countries concerned and a deep knowledge of the specific features of each country. Master franchises provide a useful gateway for retailers because they help remove barriers to market entry, but also offer their local knowledge to quickly find the best locations,” says Nathalie Depetro, Director of MAPIC. The Spanish educational toys retailer Eurekakids, for example, is now present in eight countries, including Colombia, by virtue of master franchises, and plans to open 35 new sites this year. In this context, 20 master franchises are expected at MAPIC this year and the topic will also be a major focus of the entire conference programme. The conference on Thursday, 14 November at 3:15pm will provide more information about players who invest in new markets, including Simon Marshall, CEO of Fawaz A. Alhokair & Co, which has a broad-based network of franchises in the Middle East, working for international brands such as Aldo, Zara, Marks & Spencer and Topshop; Marcus Chipchase, Managing Director F&F Global Partnerships of the British food retailer Tesco; and Norman Jaskolka, President of the Canadian Aldo Group specialised in the designing and manufacturing shoes, leather goods and fashion accessories. The conference on Wednesday, 13 November at 3:30pm will focus on master franchises as a gateway into Russia. Vineet Arora, CEO of the JamilCo Group of Companies and Mikhail Urzhumtcev CEO of Melon Fashion Group, two key master franchises in Russia, will share their knowledge of the latest trends in this market. And the Power Meeting session on November 14 will feature individual meetings lasting three minutes between master franchises and retailers wishing to develop internationally. |