JEDDAH, 19 March 2004 — A delegation of 30 Saudi businessmen, led by Hamad Al-Humaidan, deputy secretary general of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and Ahmad Bahjat Hejazi from the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, left for Paris late Wednesday night to visit the Franchise Expo Paris 2004 from March 19-22. The trade fair, organized by the Federation of French Franchisers, is one of the largest in Europe and the Saudi delegation is second largest to attend, after one from China. It is the first franchise mission to visit France and it hopes to bring back as many franchises as possible. Those on the delegation, according to Muhammad A. Al-Sharif, secretary general of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, are particularly interested in fields “such as bakeries, laundries and beauty salons.”
