Considering the last year of upheaval in franchising, franchising has reached a crossroad. A key conference to be held virtually on the 25 and 26 August 2021 that will serve to review and reboot the sector has been proposed by the Franchise Association of South Africa (FASA).
According to Pertunia Sibanyoni, Chair of FASA, “there is no question that franchising fared far better than independent businesses during these tough times but, as a sector that contributed almost 15% to the country’s GDP in 2019, we need to analyse the impact of COVID-19 and regroup to ensure that franchising recovers and is poised for even greater growth in the future. This is the first conference to disseminate franchise and business performance since the pandemic and the first to set its sights on a meaningful recovery.”
Taking place over two days, this virtual business networking and education conference organized by FASA is sponsored by Absa and co-sponsored by Franchise Coaches and GroeGlobal, bringing together local as well as international participants to provide an overview of the viability of franchising.
According to James Noble, Head of Retail and Franchise at Absa Business Banking, every sector of franchising is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic in its own way and at its own pace – from the fastfood sector that is benefiting from online orders and deliveries to the DIY sector showing good results as people turned to home improvements during the lockdown. “But there have also been casualties along the way and we, as a commercial bank with a dedicated franchise division, want to play a key role in getting existing franchises back on their feet and paving the way for the future growth of franchising – not only in South Africa but in the rest of Africa.”
Highlighted Sectors
South Africa has franchising in 14 business sectors, but the FASA conference will focus on four of the major sectors, bring in franchisors to share their perspectives, and have panel discussions to debate the way forward.
- Restaurants and Quick-Service Restaurants - will explore how franchises have adapted their business models to stay relevant and embrace changes to stay in business. We will also speak with representatives of associations and franchise brands.
- The Consumer Services Sector - from companies that were able to capitalize on specific consumer demands to other companies that face new challenges as consumer demands change. The panel discussion will include franchise brands from around the world.
- The FMCG Sector - the challenges and opportunities facing the consumer goods sector and perspectives from local operators.
- The Automotive Sector - already facing IR4 changes to its very existence, we hear from local fuel retailers and auto associations as well as hear some insight into what intelligent mobility will be like in the future.
What Is Next For Franchising?
On the second day of the conference, which runs concurrently with the sector days, the conference will focus on steering the franchise sector to future stability and growth. South Africa's most respected franchise, business and legal consultants - who are at the forefront of what's happening in this sector - will share their insights into where franchising is at and what needs to be done to take it to the next level.
- Experts in franchising will discuss resurrecting from ashes - from the nitty-gritty of rebooting and resetting to getting franchisees back on track to the future of franchising.
- Legal experts will discuss how COVID-19 affects franchising on both the contractual and operational levels, and how it impacts the protection of personal information (POPIA), which is included in the COVID-19.
- By focusing on Africa and with South Africa as the natural springboard to take us to the rest of the continent, we present a survey that examines franchising in Africa as well as share the findings of a local study on the impact of COVID-19 on women in business.
- An array of franchise brands and consultants, as well as the World Franchise Council, of which FASA is a member, will provide an overview of how global franchising has fared and a panel of franchise associations from around the world will participate in a panel discussion.
“It is up to us, as the franchise community,” concludes Pertunia Sibanyoni “which has contributed so much to the country’s economy over the past forty years, to ensure that our sector recovers from the effects of the pandemic and sets goals for renewed growth in the future.”
To book your seat and for further information visithttp://www.fasa.co.za/events