The 2019 Moscow International Franchise Forum and Exhibition was held on 28–29 May 2019 in Moscow at the Digital Business Space (DBS). The event was organized by the Russian Franchise Association with the support of the Roscongress Foundation, the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, the Government of Moscow, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, SME Corporation, and the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The 2019 Moscow Franchise Expo and Forum was an important event for small and medium-sized businesses. It brought together more than 5 thousand franchise community leaders from Russia and more than 20 countries, representatives of Russian state authorities, representatives of foreign states authorities, primarily members of the SCO, BRICS, and EurAsEC, franchising company owners and managers, concept and brand owners from Russia, the CIS, and abroad, and active and potential consumers of franchise offers.
These included: President of the Russian Franchise Association (RAF) and BRPI JSC (Baskin Robbins) Agnes Osipova; Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Galina Karelova; Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, Industry, Innovative Development, and Entrepreneurship Denis Kravchenko; Senior Vice President of the Russian Export Center (REC) Igor Zhuk; Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Elena Dybova; Deputy Director of the Department for the Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Competition of the Investment Policy of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Olesya Teterina; President of the French Franchise Association Chantal Zimmer; Director of the China Chain Stores and Franchising Association (CCSFA) Susan Xue; Founder of 1C Company Boris Nuraliev; General Director of Gemotest Lab LLC Rudem Gaziev; Vice President of Subway Russia Gennady Kochetkov and many others.
In her welcome address to participants, the President of the Russian Franchising Association, the Forum organizer, Agnes Osipova noted what an important economic tool franchising was for many of the world’s developed countries. «In almost all countries, franchising contributes to the achievement of national strategic objectives and international integration. The introduction of innovative technologies to franchising helps steer development trends for modern entrepreneurship and the modern economy,» Osipova said. «Franchising creates a healthy competitive environment and stimulates improvement in the quality of goods and services, new product development, and market expansion. For more than 20 years, the Russian Franchise Association has been actively involved in developing this area and observing development, and it has seen results. Russia occupies a worthy place in the global franchising community, we are a member of the Strategic Franchising Group and of the World Franchise Council, and we are constantly updating the global agenda in this direction».
As part of the Forum business programme, guests and participants discussed the state mechanisms needed to strengthen international cooperation and to expand franchising opportunities in the country.
«Nowadays, franchising is one of the most sought-after business models in Russia. The market in the capital demonstrates stable dynamics at a level of 10–15%, and last year the increase came to 19%. There are already more than 11,500 franchises representing 500 different brands; these include shops, food establishments, coffee shops, sporting goods outfitters, and service providers, and every year we see more and more new concepts. I am sure that the franchise market can develop in significant ways, as this is not only an opportunity for the franchisee to build a business from the mistakes of others but also a universal scaling tool for brands. It is very important for us to support the development trend of franchising in the capital, and that is why the Moscow International Franchise Forum and Exhibition was held during Moscow Entrepreneurship Week for the second time, and a special nomination for franchisors was included in the first Moscow ‘Breakthrough of the Year’ entrepreneurial prize,» Head of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Development Department of Moscow Alexey Fursin said.
The business programme of the Moscow International Franchise Forum 2019 included a full range of topics covering the industry’s main areas of focus, such as finding effective solutions and developing recommendations for the government and public administration and working with development institutions and innovation infrastructure facilities on franchising incentives and providing financial support. Event participants were able to take part in practical workshops in order to work on establishing partnerships, familiarizing themselves with the intricacies of franchising technology and legal aspects, and so much more.
