An indispensable process for any brand that wants to go international and conquer new markets around the world is to visit the desired destinations. Helping in this process is the main goal of the trade missions promoted by Franchising Brasil — the result of a partnership between the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) and the Brazilian Franchising Association (ABF).
The United States, Portugal, Mexico, Paraguay, Bolivia and the United Arab Emirates were some of the destinations visited by the Program and its participants in recent years. It was with the help of commercial meetings, technical visits to shopping centers, workshops and other strategic actions promoted to bring Brazilian franchisors closer to potential new franchisees and local partners that many brands were able to open new units of their franchises in distant countries.
Remember, below, four Brazilian companies participating in Franchising Brasil that were successful in opening new units of their franchises in other countries after participating in international trips promoted by the Program.
My Diet Life, a brand focused on weight loss accompanied by professional care services, was present at the 2022 Paraguay and Bolivia Trade Mission, represented by Matheus Velani, CEO of the BF Brands group, which owns the brand. The trip, whose main goal was to increase Brazil’s commercial presence in South America, resulted in the first contact with a master franchisee in Paraguay, who will open the first franchise unit in the country in 2023 and already has plans for a rapid expansion.
The initial idea for My Diet Life came up in 2014, when Velani was introduced to the Flexible Diet by a nutritionist. Motivated by the positive results, he brought together a team of nutritionists to develop a unique definitive weight loss protocol, which he began selling to clients from other franchises in the group. With the success, My Diet Life became its own brand in 2022, and in addition to the first unit in Paraguay, it also has two units in Brazil.
Hot ‘N Tender , one of the brands honored with the Internationali Highlight Award 2020, promoted by Franchising Brasil, is a Brazilian crispy chicken franchise also known as HNT Chicken. The brand stood out in 2019 by opening six stores in the United States in a period of just six months.
The investment took place with the help of a master franchisee, but the company studied the North American market for months before starting the move. Part of this study involved the participation, through Franchising Brasil, in the Multi-Unit Franchising Conference, an event held annually in Las Vegas.
Founded in 1995, Hot n’Tender began its expansion in 2015 and currently has over 50 units across the country, in addition to operations in the United States, consolidating itself as one of the largest Brazilian fried chicken franchises.
After a commercial trip conducted by Franchising Brasil to Mexico in 2020 to participate in the Feria Internacional de Franquicias (FIF), Maple Bear Brasil, a bilingual education school, successfully expanded its business to the Latin American country. The first contact between the brand and the person who would become its new partner in the country, who showed interest in the school’s potential and its possibilities for financial return, took place at FIF, in the stand promoted by ABF.
With Canadian origins, but acquired by the Brazilian Master-franchise in early 2020, Maple Bear is a network present in all Brazilian states with 159 schools, which offer excellent teaching based on the Canadian bilingual methodology. The brandi s ranked among the best in the world at Kindergarten, Elementary and Secondary levels. There are more than 500 schools in 30 countries around the world.
The 2020 edition of the Mexico International Franchise Fair also yielded good results for another company participating in the Program: Sobrancelhas Design. Shortly after the event, the care and beauty franchise opened its concept store in Mexico City with the aim of showing the brand’s entire project to the local public, including its sustainability initiatives.
The first chain of stores dedicated exclusively to eyebrow design in the world and a consolidated leader in the beauty and well-being segment, Sobrancelhas Design has more than 400 stores throughout Brazil, the United States and Central America. In 2020, by showing a high potential on an international scale, the brand was a finalist for the International Highlight Award.
About Franchising Brasil
Franchising Brasil is a joint project of the Brazilian Franchising Association (ABF) and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), which aims to support the internationalization strategy of Brazilian franchise networks and their international trade promotion. The initiative was conceived to promote this recognized business model in the main international markets.