LFA closer-4

November December 2012

LFA internal newsletter

Message from the President Dear LFA Members and Closer Readers, The Franchising Sector continues to prove, on a daily basis, its tremendous resilience and strong immunity against almost any downturns and crises. Indeed, despite the turmoil caused by the regional instability, a stagnating local market, across-the-board drops in almost every economic indicator – particularly tourism, the traditional driver of other sectors, despite all these negative elements, the Franchising Sector still looks promising!

Every day, we are witness to the positive energy, the perseverance, the motivation, the creativity, the indomitable entrepreneurial spirit and leadership shown by the decision-makers of our Franchising brands.

LFA is also keeping busy. We are preparing to host the World Franchise Council meeting in Beirut on 15 and 16 April 2013. This is a clear sign of confidence in this country, and a testimony to its people’s undefeatable spirit. This major international franchising meeting gives us the opportunity to host 43 delegate countries in Beirut.

In parallel, and building on the success of BIFEX 2012, the fair’s third edition is to take place on 17 and 18 April 2013. We are actively moving towards achieving our goals of hosting prominent, regional and international professionals to talk about a variety of topics relating to the Franchising industry.

We hope you all join our efforts in promoting Lebanese creativity!

LFA on the move • BIFEX “The Retail Industry” Success p.2 • LFA participates in the WFC Meeting in Turkey p.3 LFA members • Rashwan Miknas: - «Hard work makes its own luck!» p.5 • LFA members’ news p.6 • LFA new members 2012 p.8 LFA reports • Intellectual property (IP) is a key consideration in day-today business decisions p.11

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On the move BIFEX 2012 - The Retail Industry

BIFEX 2012 - Opening Ceremony

Under the patronage of the President of the Council of Ministers H.E. Mr. Najib Mikati, represented by Minister of State H.E. Mr. Marwan Kheireddine, BIFEX 2012 – The Retail Industry took place on 23 & 24 May 2012 at the Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut, organized by the Lebanese Franchise Association (LFA) in collaboration with Al-Iktissad Wal-Aamal Group.

BIFEX 2012 – The Retail Industry brought together more than 400 businessmen, investors, and franchising experts from 13 different countries in the presence of Minister of Industry H.E. Mr. Freij Sabounjian, Minister of Information H.E. Mr. Walid Al Daouk, as well as former ministers, members of parliament, and heads of economic bodies. Mr. Raouf Abou Zaki, Chief Executive Officer of Al-Iktissad Wal-Aamal Group, Mr. Charles Arbid, President of the Lebanese Franchise Association, H.E. Mr. Adnan Al Kassar, President of the Economic Bodies, and H.E. Minister Kheireddine addressed the audience during the opening ceremony.

A panel of renowned international and local speakers tackled Branding, Shopping Center Strategies, Franchising, and Social Media during the two-day Forum.

The first session, moderated by the President of the Beirut Traders Association Mr. Nicolas Chammas, hosted Chairmen and CEOs of leading shopping centers in the market. MP Robert Fadel (Deputy Chairman, ABC), Mr. Iyad Mallas (CEO, Majid Al Futtaim Group), Mr. Michel Abchee (Chairman, CityMall) and Mr. Mounir Al Douaidy (General Manager, SOLIDERE) discussed the role of shopping malls in promoting brands and concepts.

Mr. Rony Aoun, Board member of the Middle East

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Council for Shopping Centers gave a presentation introducing the MECSC. Guest speaker Mr. Ramsay Najjar (Managing Partner, S2C) set up the second Forum topic with a presentation entitled “Brand or Die.” Moderated by Mr. Jihad El Murr (COO MTV, NRJ and CEO Nostalgie and 2U2C), Session 2 panelists included leading international experts: Ms. Dana Armstrong from the UK (Managing Director, InspireRD), Mr. Antonio Haslauer Da Costa from New York (Business Development Consultant, AH Advisory), Mr. Tarek Atrissi from the Netherlands (Visual Communication Consultant, Atrissi Design), Ms. Larissa De Moraes from Brazil (Visual Merchandising & Brand Management Consultant, Studio Viz). Panelists presented the latest trends in successful branding strategies, including visual merchandising and cross-cultural visual identity, and discussed concerns, such as bilingual typography and communication design considerations.

The third panel was moderated by Mr. Raja Nasri (LFA expert and Chairman-General Manager of Turnkey Ventures sal) and discussed Franchising as a possible solution for hotel owners in Lebanon, bringing together the big players in the region: Dr. Amine Moukarzel (Managing Director, Golden Tulip Hotels Group in MENA) and Mr. Bani Haddad (Regional Vice-President, Wyndham Hotel Group International).

The fourth session tackled the major shifts in technology and their impact on the retail business. Renowned media experts, such as Mr. Nicholas Heller (Head of New Business Development at Google), who was unable to be present in person but addressed the audience via live streaming, shared their experiences on online

commerce, M-commerce, and social media. The panel also hosted Mr. Omar El Manialawy (Deal of the Day Manager, Souq.com), Dr. Gerald Lang (Professor, Bordeaux Management School), and Mr. Ayman Itani (CEO, Think Media Labs) under the moderation of Mr. Tarek Kassar (Founder & CEO, YoungBerry), The last session entitled “Brand Valuation: The Next Step Forward” and moderated

by Ms. Maya Karanouh (CEO, TAGbrands) featured top-level international experts Ms. Mary-Ellen Field (Associate Director, Brand Finance UK) and the Franchise Guru Mr. Tony Fitzpatrick (Managing Partner, Franchise your Business). The panelists explained how to perform brand valuations for financial reporting, M&A activities, and joint ventures.

BIFEX 2012 – the Retail Industry proved to be a highly successful event, reflecting the positive image of Lebanon as a meeting point for excellence in Franchising and doing business in the region. The event garnered high-profile participants and a high level of attendance and interaction in all the sessions. BIFEX 2013 will take place next year alongside the World Franchise Council Meeting that will be held from 15 – 18 April 2013, where delegates from 47 countries will be hosted by LFA in Beirut.

LFA visits Cascada Village in the Bekaa As part of its role in promoting investment and job opportunities, LFA has organized a visit to Cascada Village, Chtaura, which gave the team an opportunity to discover the one-stop leisure destination in the heart of the Bekaa Valley, combining retail shopping, entertainment, and various business servicing.

The LFA Delegation had a tour of the project and listened to a detailed explanation from the mall’s management team about the location, design, services, and facilities.

During that occasion, LFA President Charles Arbid said: “We support such initiatives because we’re directly concerned with the retail industry and we believe that we have a role to play in developing the Bekaa area.” He stressed that the goal of the visit was to share in LFA’s partners in this great achievement, which will create a new shopping culture in a previously under-served market.

Arbid felt reassured about the success of “Cascada Village,” which is a project that projects a bright image of the Bekaa and is at par with international standards, particularly in being environmentally friendly.

www.lfalebanon.com

On the move LFA Participates in the World Franchise Council Meeting in Istanbul, Turkey As the next World Franchise Council (WFC) meeting will be held in Lebanon, LFA President, Mr. Charles Arbid, was Chair-Elect of the semi-annual WFC meeting that was held in Istanbul, Turkey, between 12 and 15 September 2012.

The hosting Turkish Franchise Federation (UFRAD) made every effort to ensure that WFC delegates from over 30 countries had constructive and highly informative meetings and workshops.

The four-day program balanced intensive work sessions with relaxing touristic outings. While the organized meetings and workshops gave attending members to discuss issues pertinent to the Franchising industry worldwide, Mr. Arbid seized further opportunities to hold bilateral meetings with heads of delegations from different member states, including H.E. Mr. Sabri Yaakob, Malaysian Minister for Domestic Trade, Co-operatives, and Consumerism. The Minister, who made a thorough presentation of the franchising sector in Malaysia, was personally invited by Mr. Arbid to attend the upcoming WFC meeting in Beirut, to be held between 15 and 18 April 2013.

A pre-opening session set the pace of the workshop, where WFC’s Strategic Planning Group met on Wednesday 12 September to discuss and update the Strategic Action Plan, which sets the goals, objectives, broad activities, and implementation timeframes of WFC. Lebanon was invited to join the Strategic Planning Group, made up of volunteer WFC members, including France, Mexico, UK, New Zealand, and Germany.

The Strategic Planning Group is working on reaching such goals as that of developing an organized and structured process for WFC operations that will enhance efficiencies, as well as member value and satisfaction.

Another goal is to encourage the implementation of ethical franchising and of helping in the development of franchise associations worldwide.

UFRAD Chairman, Dr. Mustafa Aydin, officially inaugurated the WFC meeting on Thursday 13 September. The opening session began with a discussion of WFC internal and strategic actions, such as the meeting’s agenda, WFC’s finance report, and the report of the Strategic Planning Group. The Council also discussed “Franchising – A Vector for Economic Growth,” a paper prepared by two of the leading experts in the field, Ms. Carol Chopra, Executive Director of the European Franchise Federation, and Ms. Chatal Zimmer, Secretary-General of the French Franchise Federation. . The richly researched and thoroughly documented paper describes the dynamics driving the success of the franchising industry and its unparalleled ability to boost entrepreneurship and create jobs.

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World Franchise Meeting - Istanbul

Four highly informative roundtables were held during the WFC meeting, where delegates shared knowledge and communicated experiences, organized around the following main themes: • Associations’ experiences and implementations that created opportunities for new sources of income.

• Successful experiences in promoting the name and the services of the associations with the public and governmental institutions.

• Weak points in franchising systems, such as examples of abuses and the role associations can actively play in preventing bad reputations that can arise from such practices.

• Successful Internet applications in promoting membership, increasing associations’ income and membership services.

As Chair-Elect and next host of the WFC meeting in Beirut, President Arbid gave the closing address at the Istanbul meeting. He gave a presentation of Lebanon, offering member delegates information on the country, its economy, its franchise sector, and its main touristic attractions. He also briefed the attendants about the yearly Beirut International Franchise Forum and Exhibition (BIFEX), which LFA has been organizing since the past three years.

President Arbid ended with a warm invitation to all WFC delegate members for a uniquely Lebanese hospitable and convivial experience in 2013.

members

Rashwan Miknas

Rashwan Miknas: «Hard work makes its own luck!» Written by Zeina Abou Zaki It was by an unexpected twist of fate that Rashwan Miknas saw himself dropping his medical studies in Sweden to take a lifelong journey at McDonald’s.

Rashwan answered an ad for a job to fill his time while he waited for his courses to begin, and was immediately hired as a manager trainee. The career path was so challenging that he totally gave up his wish to become a doctor!

Rashwan became totally immersed in McDonald’s culture and committed to a relationship that would shape the rest of his life.

From a McDonald’s Licensee in Sweden, Rashwan moved to the company’s regional office in Dubai. “The journey was tough, but I decided to go on because I was highly motivated,” says Rashwan. His motivation came from a deep desire to discover and to achieve, from a strong love for life itself. “Motivation has to come from within,” he says. “We all dream, but some people’s dreams stay just that, while others work to make theirs a reality.”

Rashwan certainly worked very hard to realize his dreams. In 1995, he had the opportunity of contributing his extensive operational expertise to a McDonald’s team in charge of opening in new markets. Of that experience, Rashwan says: “The extremely rapid growth and expansion of McDonald’s in the Arab world was an exceptional learning opportunity, which deepened my knowledge and broadened my experience.”

Ten years later, Rashwan and his brother Akram took over the operation of McDonald’s Lebanon. They took over nine existing branches, which they expanded to 27 today.

About doing business in Lebanon, Rashwan says: “It’s extremely challenging!” It is a daily challenge to properly handle such a large investment in the absence of adequate infrastructure. “Electricity is a real problem, for instance,” he says. McDonald’s Lebanon has the highest electricity cost among all McDonald’s branches anywhere in the world! “Utility cost increased from 3.5% of the turnover in 2000 to 7.7% today and will probably reach 8% by the end of 2012.” This obviously impacts profitability, growth, expansion, and the future plans of the company.

And yet Rashwan believes that tourism could create one million job opportunities if the sector was properly developed, and invested. “What’s needed is stability and good planning,” he says.

But it is these challenges that give the Lebanese the creativity and innovation to make the best usage of limited resources and a rigid market. “Seeking opportunities, creating, innovating, working hard is not an option to the Lebanese – it is a must!” Rashwan believes in hard work. Everyone can find opportunities and achieve success if s/he works hard enough. “We’re born to work. If we stopped, we would die,” he says.

“Opportunities come to everyone, but it comes dressed in hard work cloth”.

Rashwan believes that hard work begins in tough physical toil at the onset of a career. With time and with more experience, work becomes more mental.

Experience requires mistakes to be made, obstacles to be overcome. If someone doesn’t make mistakes, then that person is not working.”

Rashwan believes in strategic planning and the socioeconomic impact of previous decisions. At McDonald’s, strategic planning is known as “3 – 1 – Q”: Three years planning, one year execution, and quarterly review.

Rashwan had to adapt this to “1 – 1 – 1” in the Lebanese context: One day planning, one hour execution, and one minute of evaluation or review! “This is due to bad decisions and the lack of options in the local economy!

Even if we started to change today, we would need many years to accomplish any results. But let us start!”

Rashwan is starting to implement that change in his own enterprise. “I believe that standards are set not on paper but through practice. If I overlook a mistake, I give my co-workers the excuse to do the same.” His daily routine is thus extremely open but also very strict. “My door is open to everyone. I don’t believe in superiority. No one works for me – we all work together,” says Rashwan.

That still leaves Rashwan enough time to act as Secretary General to LFA. “I find this association the best in Lebanon! Everything we know about entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity are embodied by LFA members. The ideas and concepts they created are real success stories. I feel proud of their achievements,” says Rashwan. He only hopes that the government starts lending more support to these entrepreneurs because they project a bright image of Lebanon.

And to aspiring young Lebanese entrepreneurs, he says: “Go for your dreams and never give up! It’s not a problem to fall, but it is a problem not to get up again.” www.lfalebanon.com

members LFA Member Al- Rifai continues its active expansion plan. During the past three months, it has opened as many new branches in Cyprus: The first in The Mall of Cyprus – Nicosia, the second in My Mall – Limassol, and the third in the Departure Lounge of Larnaca’s International Airport. In addition, Al Rifai has opened four new outlets in Chourctier Aoun branches in Naccache, Monteverde, Jeita, and Jisr El Bacha and another at Spinneys Jbeil, as well as a flagship store in Aramoun.

fries, salads, and drinks that enhance the burger experience.

Classic Burger Joint was the first burger joint to open in Lebanon in April 2010. Following its huge success, CBJ opened that same year another branch on the Jal el Dib highway and another two new branches in Beirut’s Central District and the St. Gorges Marina (Zaitunay Bay) in 2011, then two more in Hamra and Le Mall - Dbaye in 2012.

For more information, please go to www.cbj.me.

Colortek,

in collaboration with Swarovski, the world’s leading producer of cut crystal, genuine gemstones and created stones, has unveiled its latest decorative paint: Aurora.

Inspired by the haute couture fashion industry and the enchanted atmosphere of catwalks, Aurora is an innovative fusion of sparkling Swarovski elements and backgrounds of elegant and glamorous colors. Each Aurora gallon includes more than 517,000 genuine precision-cut, jewelry collection Swarovski crystals.

Boecker

Headquarter in Beirut hosted a ceremony on 20 July 2012 to announce the signing of Boecker International Offshore, a franchise agreement deal with Solea Group to expand in Ghana, West Africa.

“I am thrilled to be joining a proven concept that has as mission to provide world-class public health services,” said Hassan Nasser, General Manager of Solea. “I look forward to servicing the commercial and residential sectors of the Ghana market, as well as playing a part in providing professional pest management, food safety, and biosecurity provided by a qualified professional supplier such as Boecker.”

“We are pleased to welcome Boecker Ghana to the Boecker International family and continue to expand our footprint,” said Michel Bayoud, CEO of Boecker. “We look forward to bringing our clients in Ghana the high level of quality and passionate service that has become synonymous with Boecker.”

Welcomes Three New Branches, in September 2012, Crepaway announced the opening of its new branch in the brand-new Le Mall in Dbayeh – which makes it its 13th branch in Lebanon.

Another new Crepaway franchise was just launched in Jordan’s Taj Mall in Amman, the newest, largest, and most prominent mall in the Hashemite Kingdom.

Crepaway Holding is extremely proud of its new venture with al-Yaqout, the newest franchisee of the Crepaway brand.

While the venue is still partly under construction, Crepaway has started operating in soft mode. Crepaway is greatly looking forward to the official opening of the mall, which should be coming up soon. Crepaway also celebrated the opening of its 2nd outlet in KSA in October 2012 located on the booming jet-set street of Tahliya in Riyadh.

Driven by the aim to expand globally,

Casper & Gambini’s and Zahid Group

are cooperating in a new, promising partnership. The two groups share a common vision and this new partnership will allow them to project themselves worldwide. The first phase of these collaboration beings with the opening of a Casper & Gambini’s branch on Tahlia Street in Jeddah, KSA, with delivery services to be launched by the end of 2012. Five other branches are expected to roll out over the next three years.

Phase II will involve the launching of other Casper & Gambini’s branches across the region.

Tarator, the popular, trendy Falafel & Shawarma concept falls in this second category of expansion. Current previsions for the next twelve months involve the launching of 10 Tarator branches in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and five new branches in Lebanon.

LFA Member, Classic Burger Joint is open to franchising worldwide for true F&B operators at franchise@cbj. me.

Classic Burger Joint only serves real burgers and their essential sides-

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After Verdun, Asharafieh, and Beirut Souks, LFA member JouéClub is pleased to announce the opening of its fourth store in Le Mall Dbayeh and invites both kids and adults into a magical world!

Lina’s opened its first outlets in

Paris in June 1989, introducing an original, up-market sandwich restaurant formula. Lina’s is now a well-established name with over 60 restaurants operating worldwide, 13 of which in Lebanon.

It has fashioned an innovative culinary approach, combining beverages and fresh ingredients with a quality menu in relaxed surroundings.

Lina’s is now due to open its first flagship venture at the start

members of 2013, offering Original and exclusive recipe ingredients with Lina’s special fusion flair and a transparent process that allows customers to see their orders being prepared.

Lina’s continues to offer an experience of “Food with Style” and “A Beautiful Sandwich.”

McDonald’s is now at Le Mall

The McDonald’s family is growing with the opening of its newest restaurant at Le Mall Dbayeh, one of the most popular shopping malls north of Beirut.

Mr. Rashwan Miknas, Managing Partner of McDonald’s Lebanon, proudly declared: "We are thrilled to be opening McDonald’s 26th restaurant at ‘’Le Mall’’ in Dbayeh, and we are enthusiastic to welcome our customers to enjoy the new look and atmosphere of this restaurant.”

Pace e Luce, the full-service beauty

salon, has added to the existing family of 17 branches in Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Egypt,

Jordan, and Bahrain two new outlets: One at the Heliopolis Hotel in Cairo, Egypt and another at the St. Regis Hotel in Doha, Qatar. The chain hopes to launch more branches in other outlets in the coming few months. Across all its branches, Pace e Luce is dedicated to consistently provide high customer satisfaction by offering excellent service, quality products, and providing an enjoyable atmosphere – all at an acceptable price.

Mr. Joe Hilal, Development Agent for SUBWAY Lebanon, received the following recognitions during Subway Annual Convention that was held in Orlando, Fl. USA: • Number 1 for Development & Top Performance (Middle East & Africa Region) • Number 4 as Superstars for Top Index & Financial Strength (Globally) • Subway has set up the top 10 reasons to invest in SUBWAY Franchise, to learn how to become part of SUBWAY Franchise send to hilal_w@subway.com.

www.lfalebanon.com

members New Members 2012 We are pleased to announce that four new franchisors and 11 new franchisees have recently joined the LFA family fold.

Nine other concepts have become Associate Members. Here they are, listed alphabetically within their categories. A warm welcome to all!

Franchisors Assaha creates the perfect replica of

Chopsticks embraces the Chinese cuisine & culture in a uniquely casual, modern, and refined setting.

Café Younes, a genuine neighborhood

Pace e Luce is a full-service beauty salon

the small Lebanese village, inspired by different local architectural styles and ornamental elements. café concept, has been passionate about serving its customers the best coffees from around the world.

dedicated to consistently providing high customer satisfaction by offering excellent service and quality products.

Franchisees Applebee’s began with the same philosophy it follows today – that of being focused on serving good food to good people.

Pizza Hut was launched when two brothers borrowed USD 600 from their mom to start a pizzeria. What started out small has now become the biggest pizza company in the world.

BoConcept is the brand name of

Second Cup started as a specialty coffee

Denmark’s most global retail furniture chain with outlets in more than 50 countries around the world.

retailing in Toronto, Canada in 1975 and has not stopped growing the list of its offerings.

Desigual, under the theme of “we dress

Signor Sassi opened in 1984 to

people, not bodies,” is the brainchild of Thomas Meyer from Switzerland, who envisaged in 1984 a future in which people dressed differently.

become one of the most famous Italian restaurants in London. Over the years it developed a reputation for its original simple Italian food and atmosphere.

Krispy Kreme was founded in 1937 in

SUBWAY® is the world’s largest submarine sandwich chain, with more than 34,000 locations around the world.

ORKIN founded in 1901, expanded

The One, conceived by Thomas Lundgren,

Winston-Salem, North Carolina and has since become a leading, branded specialty retailer of premium-quality doughnuts.

its commercial services to meet the growing demand for pest management professionals trained to service food processing, health care, and hospitality facilities.

PARFOIS is a woman’s fashion accessories

brand created by Manuela Medieros, with the vision of becoming “the best fashion accessories brand where PARFOIS decides to operate.”

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opened its first store in Abu Dhabi, UAE in 1996. Now it operates 15 showrooms in six countries across the Middle East.

members Associate Members Batal Design is a manufacturer and

retailer of luxury home furnishings, lighting, and accessories since 1956, with the mission of providing affordable luxury products at total customer satisfaction.

Classic Burger Joint serves burgers

that cook up a gourmet storm. It only serves real burgers and their essential homemade fries and salads.

Kaysar Ata, the traditional Arabic ice cream since 1946, has a passion for manufacturing ice cream that now continues with Tony Ata, who devotes all his time and effort to ensure the highest quality and taste.

Les Amis Boutique was founded in

O'Box is a cutting-edge, ready-made,

Tarator is a fast food concept specialized

Lebanon in 1975 to represent some of the most renowned brands in the fashion industry.

organic food retailer, an international concept of innovative urban casual dining with the simple credo of "Eat Organic.�

in serving affordable Falafel & Shawarma sandwiches in a modern approach.

Tomatomatic satisfies everyone’s pizza passion with the best fresh ingredients, a secret recipe, and the choice between thin crust, medium crust, or deep pan.

VIP Parking Control has been providing

innovative parking solutions since its inception in 1999 in high-end, prime locations across Lebanon.

35 rooms stands out with its sleek design,

professional service and friendly staff.

The uniqueness of the hotel is reflected in its graphical elements and welcoming colors.

www.lfalebanon.com

Save the Date! >The Lebanese Franchise Association (LFA) is organizing a unique event promoting Lebanese creativity and entrepreneurship and featuring the World Franchise Council meeting as well as the BIFEX forum & exhibition > For more info please contact us

Chamber of Commerce bldg., Floor 13, Sanayeh, Beirut , Lebanon. Tel.: +961 1 742 134, +961 71 400 533, info@lfalebanon.com

w w w . l f a l e b a n o n . c o m • twitter/facebook LFAlebanon

reports Intellectual Property by Mrs. Amal Abdallah • Providing competitive advantages that improve the company’s ability to generate revenue; • Obtaining access to new markets.

Registering an IP right optimizes the protection it receives, deters others from using it, and increases the remedying options should someone infringe upon IP rights.

Intellectual property (IP) is a key consideration in day-to-day business decisions.

New products, brands, and creative designs appear almost daily on the market and are the result of continuous human innovation and creativity.

If left unprotected, an IP right may be lost to larger competitors that are in a better position to commercialize the product or service at a more affordable price. Adequate protection of a company›s IP is a crucial step in deterring potential infringement upon that right and in turning ideas into business assets with a real market value.

Forward-looking enterprises face the challenge of extracting the value of their IP and using it effectively in their business strategy. Companies that dedicate time and resources to protecting their intellectual property assets can increase their competitiveness in a variety of ways.

Intellectual property protection helps in: • preventing competitors from copying or closely imitating a company›s products or services; • avoiding wasteful investment in R&D and marketing * creating a corporate identity through IP rights and branding strategy * negotiating licensing, franchising or other IPbased contractual agreements * increasing the market value of the company • Enhancing access to finance;

* Greater Protection: Registration provides official notice to others that an IP right is already taken. Consequently, a company that later adopts a confusingly similar IP right cannot claim ignorance of the IP right. * Greater Deterrence: IP rights will appear in IP rights search reports ordered by others, likely discouraging others from proceeding with the registration of the same or similar IP right (trademark), and the Patent and IP Rights Office will refuse registration to any IP rights it deems confusingly similar to existing IP rights. * Greater Remedies: IP Rights Registration grants the owner legal protection for his IP rights and enables him to stop others from trading with it.

The owner will have an automatic right to sue in Court.

Effective IP management enables companies to use their intellectual property assets to improve their competitiveness and strategic advantage. Acquiring IP protection is a crucial initial step, but effective IP management means more than just protecting an enterprise›s IP rights. It also involves a company›s ability to commercialize such inventions, market its brands, license or franchise its know-how, conclude joint ventures and other contractual agreements involving IP, and effectively monitor and enforce its intellectual property rights. Indeed, a company›s portfolio of IP must be viewed as a collection of key assets that add significant value to the enterprise.

In conclusion, if properly developed, identified and protected, a company’s IP can be a valuable asset.

Paying attention to IP today can help your company for years to come. www.lfalebanon.com

about LFA The Lebanese Franchise Association was established by the Official Notification Number 126/a.d. dated April 13, 2006 issued by the Minister of Interior and Municipalities.

Mission Statement LFA is a non-profit organization that develops and promotes excellence in the franchising sector in Lebanon. LFA coordinates the activity of its members in a concerted effort to promote and exemplify excellence in franchising.

Applicants to any category of membership are expected to fill the relevant application form and sign the Code of Ethics and return it to the Admission Committee which in turn will pass it to the Board of Directors for final decision.

Objectives • To reinforce LFA leading economic role as the exclusive community of franchisors and franchisees in Lebanon • To promote Lebanon abroad through Franchising • To anchor LFA standing as the largest franchising network in the Middle East • To actively promote entrepreneurship and support SMEs’ growth in Lebanon • To ensure the proper transfer of know-how in all matter pertaining to franchising • To advocate for the protection of Intellectual Property in the franchising sector • To become a role model in Business Ethics in the franchising sector in the region • To become an exclusive general resource center for franchisors and franchisees in Lebanon • To act as a national, regional and international platform for LFA members

Membership benefits: • Training programs, seminars and expos organized

by LFA or LFA partners • Networking facility through B to B meetings, conferences and specialized organized visits • Access to LFA Member Directory and listing of profile in the yearly LFA Booklet • Listing of profile on LFA website and visibility of brand through website links • Access to potential franchisors or franchisees contacting the LFA • Access to exclusive LFA database and research resources • Timely notification of upcoming local and worldwide franchising conferences and events • Reduced participation fee in LFA conferences, workshops and in intellectual property registration

Membership (3 types) 1. Full members: a. Lebanese Franchisors with a fully comprehensive and defined concept; Must accept the Regulations set by the Statute and By-laws of LFA; Must adhere to the Code of Ethics adopted by LFA. b.

Lebanese Franchisees who are signatories to franchise agreements with foreign concepts.

Activities • Launching the first program on Franchising in the MENA Region: Certified Franchise Executives Program – Ecole Supérieure des Affaires, in partnership with the French Franchise Federation • Participating in local and international exhibitions • Organizing seminars / workshops with partners • Organizing the periodical gathering Happy Hour • Reinforcing of the LFA resource center • Establishing local working relations with institutional stakeholders • Reinforcing the regional and international networks through the Mediterranean Franchise Federation (MFF), the Franchise Association for the Middle East (FAME), the French Franchise Federation (FFF) and the World Franchise Council (WFC).

2. Associate members: LFA can admit companies who, whilst they do not meet conditions of full membership, commit and work towards meeting full membership requirements within a maximum period of 2 years after admission.

3. E xperts: LFA welcomes the participation of Lebanese experts who have experience in the franchising industry, mainly in the fields of franchise program development and legal services.

Lebanese Franchise Association

Chamber of Commerce bldg., Floor 13, Sanayeh, Beirut , Lebanon. Tel.: +961 1 742 134, +961 71 400 533 Fax: +961 1 744 162 • info@flalebanon.com www.lfalebanon.com

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