Event Expected to Attract 20,000-plus Mainland China Entrepreneurs HONG KONG, Oct. 25 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Global Sources Ltd. (Nasdaq: GSOL ) confirmed that more than 100 leading franchise companies including Dicos, Ruby Tuesday, Stonegrill, Subway and TNT are expected to participate in the eighth annual Franchising China Conference & Exhibition, in Beijing on Oct. 31 to Nov. 1; in Guangzhou on Nov. 3 and 4; and in Shanghai on Nov. 7 and 8. (LOGO: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030303/LNM011LOGO-b ) Other exhibitors include 3M, Boost Juice Bars, Cambridge English, Century 21, Cuisine Plus, DIO Coffee, Duraclean, Family Mart, Franck Provost, Lamex Kitchen, Office 1, Steak-King and Tayohya. Franchising China 2005 will feature 305 booths -- up by more than 10 percent from 2004. Attendance is expected to top last year's record of 20,300 visitors. Franchising China is held in China's three largest franchising markets. The events attract mainland China investors looking for franchise opportunities in a range of sectors including food and beverage, furniture, education, automotive and business services. Franchising China is an event of eMedia Asia Ltd, a joint venture between Global Sources and CMP Media. Joint venture president, Mark Saunderson, said: "By 2010, franchises are expected to account for 30 percent of China's total retail sales. "Growth is being driven by the new affluence of Chinese consumers -- average earnings of urban residents have risen 91 percent over the past five years. The industry has also benefited from the China's Ministry of Commerce's new legal guidelines for franchising and commerce in China." Most investors willing to spend US$60,000 on franchise opportunities Visitor surveys show that Franchising China attracts highly qualified visitors with 90 percent of 2004's attendees planning to invest in a franchise within the year. More than 70 percent were ready to invest US$60,000 or more in a business. Most visitors exercise significant decision-making power: 27 percent are company chairmen, presidents or business proprietors; and 28 percent are general or assistant general managers. Most visitors (36 percent) are looking for food and beverage opportunities. Others are interested in laundry services (29 percent); educational and business services (25 percent); automobile services (24 percent), and convenience/retail, and beauty and health stores (19 percent). Conference speakers include TNT, International Franchise Association and Corneil English Conferences at the events will help entrepreneurs to understand how to maximize the efficiency and profitability of operating a franchise business in China. Speakers will address three main subject areas -- legal, operations and franchise investment. Topics include: -- Franchising fundamentals -- Building a healthy franchising system -- How to buy a franchise that will make money for you -- How to build a good relationship between franchisors & franchisees -- Lessons learned from successful franchise systems -- Five habits of successful franchisors -- How to sign a fair franchising contract International Franchise Association endorses event Franchising China is endorsed by the International Franchise Association. IFA chairman Richard Rennick will be the keynote speaker at the opening ceremony of all three events. Other supporting associations include the Franchising and Licensing Association, Singapore; Franchise Association of Southern Africa; Malaysian Franchise Association; Association of Chain and Franchise Promotion, Taiwan; and Franchise and Thai SMEs Business Association. Exhibition hours are from 9:00a.m to 5:00p.m. For more information, please visit the English website at http://www.english.franchisechina.com and the Chinese website at http://www.franchisechina.com . About Global Sources Global Sources is a leading business-to-business (B2B) media company and a primary facilitator of two-way trade with Greater China. It provides sourcing information to volume buyers and integrated marketing services to suppliers. The company helps its community of more than 463,000 active buyers to source more profitably from complex, overseas supply markets. With the goal of providing as many effective ways as possible to advertise, market and sell, Global Sources enables suppliers to sell to hard-to-reach buyers in 230 countries. The company offers the most extensive range of media and export marketing services in the industries it serves. Suppliers using its four primary channels -- online marketplaces, magazines, trade shows and direct online sales -- are supported by its advertising creative, education programs and online content management applications. Global Sources delivers information on 1.4 million products and more than 130,000 suppliers annually through 10 leading online marketplaces and monthly magazines, more than 90 sourcing research reports, and 14 China Sourcing Fairs and other trade shows. Global Sources Direct is the company's new initiative that will help suppliers sell through eBay. Buyers send 5 million inquiries annually to suppliers through Global Sources Online ( http://www.globalsources.com ) alone. In mainland China, Global Sources has a 24-year track record and more than 1,300 team members in 44 locations. Its services are backed by 35 years experience as a trade magazine publisher, 14 years as an organizer of trade shows, and 10 years as an online marketplace operator. About eMedia Asia Ltd eMedia Asia Ltd. is a joint venture between Global Sources and CMP, a leading integrated media company providing essential information and marketing services to the entire technology spectrum. The joint venture is a leading provider of new technology content, in print and online for the thousands of technology specialists that drive the electronics industry in China and Asia. eMedia Asia Ltd. serves this community's ongoing need for the right information, at the right time through its integrated, local-language web networks, premier technical events and industry leading technical publications Electronic Engineering Times-Asia, Electronic Engineering Times-China and Electronics Supply & Manufacturing-China. Global Sources Press Contact in Asia: Camellia So Tel: +852-2555-5023 Email: cso@globalsources.com Global Sources Investor Contact in Asia: Eddie Heng Tel: +65-6547-2850 Email: eheng@globalsources.com Global Sources Press Contact in U.S.: James W.W. Strachan Tel: +1-602-978-7504 Email: strachan@globalsources.com Global Sources Investor Contacts in U.S.: Kirsten Chapman & Moriah Shilton Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates, Inc. Tel: +1-415-433-3777 Email: kirsten@lhai-sf.com SOURCE Global Sources Ltd.
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