The UK franchise mission to Latvia
Published: 31 March 2016
When you think of Latvia, what comes to mind? Is it the wild and green nature, the sandy beaches or perhaps it’s the historic architecture? But how about franchising? Well, the Baltic region is about to get a business overhaul as three of the UK’s leading franchising experts have been invited by the Latvian Embassy to share their knowledge and business expertise in the country.
The franchise aficionados will hit Latvia this weekend (April 1) and venture to the capital Riga, where they will give presentations at a workshop, meet local businesses and other Latvians who are interested in franchising.
Suzie McCafferty, managing director of franchise consultancy Platinum Wave, will be advising Latvian businesses on how they can bring their companies to the UK through franchising, while David Kaye, a partner with solicitors Harper Macleod and a franchise and retail sector expert, will be outlining the legal aspects. Stuart White, the UK master franchisee of Sanondaf, an international disinfection and decontamination franchise and Coldwell Banker, a US Real Estate business, will also be giving his franchise perspective.
Suzie said: “We were delighted when the Latvian embassy contacted us to kick off this initiative. There is a lot of interest from Latvian companies who want to start franchise operations in the UK but they need practical advice and guidance on how to go about it.”
She added: “David is acknowledged as one of the UK’s leading experts in the legal aspects of franchising and has worked with many international brands. Stuart is a successful entrepreneur who has many years’ experience of bringing global brands such as Century 21 and Coldwell Banker into the UK as well as building an international presence for the Sanondaf franchise.”
David Kaye commented: “With over 20 companies already registered for the workshop, there is clearly a strong interest from Latvian companies in international franchising especially to the UK.”
Stuart White added: “I am delighted to be attending this event with other franchise professionals and I am really looking forward to sharing personal experiences of franchising in the last 10 years with the group.”
