LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Hospitality News ME compiled a list of the most successful Lebanese F&B concepts and traced their journeys around the globe in a bid to map out the local-franchise scene
CONQUERING THE GCC
A natural bridge, the first market tapped by Lebanese franchises was the GCC. Nearly 50 percent of F&B concepts gained their foothold in KSA, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. Citizens of these countries have long been loyal visitors to Lebanon, experiencing and enjoying the country’s concepts, before establishing them in their hometowns.
THE NEIGHBORS
Domestic and internal franchises are extremely trendy in Lebanon, with almost 38 percent of concepts franchised within the country. This is a real phenomenon reflecting the success, popularity and high profitability of these concepts. Investors and entrepreneurs are expanding F&B outlets in the capital, the suburbs and even further out into remote areas, despite the country’s small size, in increasing numbers. Aside from local franchising, Lebanese concepts have also found real opportunities in neighboring countries, such as Jordan and Iraq.
EXPANDING IN AFRICA
Part of the Arab World, Egypt and Sudan provided attractive opportunities for several local concepts. Key to this has been the fact that Africa has traditionally long had a high ratio of Lebanese expatriates. Accordingly, operating there has been a natural route for expansion for many entrepreneurs keen to cater to this diaspora.
EMERGING IN EUROPE
Establishing a business in Europe involves following different norms and abiding by stricter instructions. It also generally requires a deeper market knowledge. However, Lebanese attempting to access these markets through the back door found Eastern Europe a little easier to debut. Some others are in the course of launching their concepts, mainly in London and Paris.
THE NEW CONTINENT
Distant, tough and highly competitive are words many local businesses would use to describe the US market. To overcome these sizeable hurdles, any successful concept would require the right market knowledge, flexible concepts, strong cashflow, adequate partnerships and marketing knowhow. Many believe that meeting such challenging market criteria would mean that a concept had the potential to become a global brand. It is emerging, but slowly.