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Published on March 17, 2008

"We expect to have 35 franchisees in Thailand within five years," David Arell, director of the Chem-Dry franchise in Thailand, said last week.

Chem-Dry (Thailand) has provided a cleaning service for furniture, carpets, tiles, marble, glass and windows for eight years.

Chem-Dry bills itself as the largest carpet- and furniture-cleaning franchise in the world, with nearly 4,000 franchisees in 50 countries.

"In Thailand, we have an office in Phuket to provide cleaning service in the city.

We have also sub-franchised operators in Bangkok who will provide service in their

protected territory. We plan to open five more franchisees this year, including in Chon

Buri and Chiang Mai" Arell said.

Phuket has seen an explosion in the construction of offices, villas, hotels, condominiums and homes, while Bangkok has witnessed more developments in existing construction, he said.

Prapol Sothornwattana, managing director of Dee-Nan Minishop, a producer of sheet-metal kiosks, said the company had received very good feedback from customers.

"Our Dee-Nan business will grow in line with the expansion of those franchised restaurants, particularly in resorts, office buildings or even petrol stations," he said.

A 20-square-metre kiosk sells for about Bt16,000.

The company was supplying kiosks to Snow Boy ice-cream franchisees. Snow Boy plans to open about 200 franchised outlets this year, while Pizza Today, another franchiser, plans to open 51, he said.

PA & Case Centre general manager Nithiyos Songwatanakumjorn said his company provided made-to-order portable stands that were stackable with a new locking system. The items are backdrops, booths, partitions and other exhibition equipment.

"We've offered made-to-order products that serve event organisers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which use the equipment in exhibiting their merchandise at events or fairs," he said. "Our business has enjoyed good growth of 20-30 per cent even during the economic downturn, when our clients demanded better-quality display equipment for their businesses," he said.

"Our business has good potential, because there are more people who want to become entrepreneurs. And during the downturn, those SMEs concentrated on cost-savings. They'll look for better-quality products to support their businesses."

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation