Franchise Fair attracts more than 4 thousand potential entrepreneurs
The Franchise Fair, held between Friday (5) and this Sunday (7), at BarraShopping Sul, in Porto Alegre, attracted an audience of more than four thousand potential entrepreneurs. This year’s edition took part around 40 exhibitors with 100 franchise optionssome with investment from BRL 10 thousand in different areas and profiles.
Arvid Auras, executive director of the Franchise Fair, points out that the purpose of the event is to make the connection between franchisors and potential investors, creating an environment conducive to networking and prospecting for investments in the near future. Rio Grande do Sul is an attractive scenario for the event, as it has more than 9,600 franchising operations – 5.37% of the national total in this segment, which should still grow 10% this year.“The Southern market of the country is very attractive and we observe a great movement of investors who seek financial freedom, debuting in the business world in search of an investment that has already been tested and safe, or diversifying their portfolio”, evaluates Auras.
Some of the biggest franchises in Brazil were present at the event, such as Cacau Show, Re/Max, Casa Bauducco, Constance, RE/MAX, Grupo Trigo (China in Box, Spoletto and other brands), Casa do Construtor and Tintas MC. “The South Region has the capacity to consume 48 million liters of paint per year. This gives us a blank canvas to paint with our colors, and we can show the potential franchisee how advantageous it is to be part of our business”, says Lucas Roth, MC Paint Expansion consultant, who intends to open more than 60 units in Rio alone Grande do Sul in the next five years.
RE/MAX, a chain of real estate franchises, has units in 28 municipalities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul and wants to increase this number. “Franchise is a structured business model that, when applied and followed according to the franchisor’s guidelines, the franchisee is successful. We have 65 branches and we want to end the year with 15 more units, reaching the mark of 80 stores in Rio Grande do Sul”, projects Thiago Medeiros, master franchisee of Regional RE/MAX.
In addition to chains with years of experience, the fair had room for beginners. One of them was QPudim, which has a store in Passo D´Areia, in Porto Alegre and presents itself as the first pudding franchise. “People’s interest in the product gave the start for us to expand the brand through franchises”, says Nilson da Silva, the company’s expansion manager.
Z Café participated in the event for the first time. With 23 years of history, the coffee shop entered franchising in 2018, but the pandemic ended up delaying some processes. “This contact with the public will be very interesting because we have a heating up of the market. We are reaching 21 stores and feeling it month after month with the demand that has been increasing and with the closing of businesses that has been gradually growing”, projected Carlo Zanetti, owner of Z Café.
With more than 50 years of history, Ballardin Malhas, a knitting company from Caxias do Sul, is now starting its franchising operation and presented its business models at the fair. “We bring some differentials in relation to other franchises in the market because we have the possibility of supplying the franchisee with a stock that is 100% consigned. That way, he manages to have a store in a shopping center with a very low initial investment”, emphasizes Ruan Dresch, commercial director at Ballardin.
For visitors, the fair was a chance to learn more about investment opportunities. This was the case of industrial refrigeration entrepreneur Everaldo Martins, from Gravataí, who visited the event on Friday in search of a franchise option. “I’m looking for something from the food sector because everyone consumes it and it would be something more practical and faster”, says Martins, who has had his own company for 23 years and wants to work on both fronts.
According to Jociane Ongaratto, Project Manager at Sebrae RS, the franchising market is one of the most prosperous segments of national and Rio Grande do Sul entrepreneurship. The organization currently supports 18 brands to expand their networks.