ATHENS, 8 February 2007 — Greece is an advanced market, with a dynamic, evolving franchising sector, offering significant opportunities for the development of international chains. The country hosts one of the most important franchising exhibitions in the world.
Visit the KEM International Franchise Exhibition, one of the top franchising exhibitions in the world, and find the ideal concept for you. The exhibition will take place in Athens on Feb. 23-26, 2007 for the 9th consecutive year and it is organized by KEM Exhibitions & Trade Shows S.A.
The 9th KEM exhibition will be held at the Athens Exhibition Center, in Ambelokoipoi (124, Kifissias Avenue), and has already attracted a large number of exhibitors both from Greece and abroad. KEM 2007 is expected to have a record number of exhibitors and visitors. Exhibitors come from a variety of countries, such as France, Spain, Portugal, US, Australia, Cyprus, Hungary, Great Britain, Italy, etc. Last year’s exhibition was visited by more than 20.000 individuals, while it hosted more than 200 concepts, 65 out of which were from the international market, representing 11 countries. It also presented 59 different product and services categories, offering visitors the possibility to choose from a wide spectrum of business opportunities.
This year, the number of visitors is expected to increase due to the growing number of exhibitors and the variety of concepts they will have the chance to explore. The increased exhibitor attendance in KEM 2007 will provide visitors with multiple concept options to choose from.
The 9th KEM International Franchise Exhibition is organized under the auspices of the National Confederation of Hellenic Commerce, the Franchise Association of Greece, the European Franchise Federation (EFF) and the World Franchise Council (WFC).
Greece is considered a late franchise bloomer when compared to the United States or other European countries, such as France or the UK. The concept of franchising first arrived in Greece in the 1970’s, but only experienced a booming growth between 1997 and 2000.
In the last 5 years, the number of franchising systems has increased dramatically. In 2001, active franchisors numbered 241, to reach approximately 550 by mid-2005. In addition, between 2002 and 2004, the total of franchised units increased significantly by almost 40 percent. Today, the country is estimated to have over 550 franchise systems, with approximately 16,000 franchised shops. According to recent studies, 65 percent of franchised networks in Greece are small-to medium- sized businesses with sales reaching 15 million euros, while 64 percent of franchisers employ up to 100 individuals each. It is estimated that the number of employees in the franchising networks is 100,000 people. According to the study conducted every year during the KEM International Franchise Exhibition on the franchising investor profile, the most popular categories for potential investors (both franchisors and franchisees) are: food & beverage, clothing, shoes, accessories, health & beauty and service provision. In addition, the Greek market constitutes one of the most interesting investment destinations worldwide. The denationalization of public enterprises, the modernization and the financial recovery they present in recent years, are inviting elements for investors who are seeking countries with development prospects, which are other than the already tested European markets.
Even though one could argue that the Greek market is fairly small, a country of 11 million inhabitants, international franchisers should recognize the favorable geographical location of Greece, also viewed as the crossroad of Europe with the Middle East and North Africa. In addition, once established in Greece, an international franchiser can export his activities and use Greece as a base for further expansion into the neighboring, new emerging markets of Eastern Europe with relative ease. Yet, for international franchisers with commercial aspirations for Eastern Europe, Greece could be considered as an excellent test market for launching new products into this area.
Another factor that makes Greece very tempting to foreign investors is its close proximity to Cyprus. The geographical location of the two countries helps many international franchisers bundle both countries in a single regional agreement. An equally crucial factor is that Greeks have a natural affinity to owning and running their own business rather than being engaged in salaried employment. That is why Greece has one of the highest percentages of self-employed people across Europe.
(Max Konstantinides is president of KEM Exhibitions & Trade Shows S.A.)
