Julie’s looks forward to integration

A LOCAL bakery chain sees the upcoming Asean economic integration as an opportunity to expand in the region through franchising.

Instead of looking at the Asean Economic Community (AEC) as a threat with tougher competition, Julie’s Franchising Corp. general manager Art Zamora said the firm is looking at it as an opportunity to expand their franchising business.

“We are open to foreign franchisees. This Asean single economy opens opportunities for a bigger market,” Zamora said at the sidelines of the company’s convention at the Marco Polo Plaza Cebu last week.

The homegrown bakeshop, which has over 100 franchisees nationwide, said “they are prepared” for the integration. Zamora said they briefed their business partners on the impact of the integration on the baking industry to franchising as well as to the influx of other Asean players in the bakeshop industry.

“There is nothing to fear. Julie’s is already an established brand and we are constantly developing our products to remain relevant and competitive in the market,” he said.

Zamora said they are coming up with a program that will facilitate expansion among their franchise network at lower investment cost. This, he said, is meant to help existing franchises position ahead before the single market economy takes place and help their franchisees expand to other Asean countries, even in the nontraditional destinations for expansion.

Julie’s Bakeshop is expanding its presence globally. Last year, the company opened a branch in Indonesia which, according to Zamora, is an opportunity for the company to grow on the back of increased awareness of globalization and the impending integration.