MANILA, Philippines—The local franchising industry expects to grow by 5-10 percent this year, with many franchise brands poised to expand both here and abroad.

Robert Trota, president of the Philippine Franchise Association, said the organization’s members were still registering growth amid the economic downturn.

“The franchise business has a 90-percent success rate, and all our members say they still have growth. The business is thriving, expanding,” he said.

Trota revealed that Japanese fast-food chain Tokyo Tokyo was set to open a branch in the United States in the next three months, while local flavored French fries pioneer Potato Corner would soon be setting up shop in California.

“There’s no slowdown in overseas expansions,” he said.

Of all overseas markets, he said the United States was the easiest for local brands to break into because of language and culture factors.

“There’s no language barrier there. The franchise rules are pretty clear and straightforward, although the market is heavily regulated. There’s also a huge number of Pinoys there, making it a good point of entry before going to the mainstream. It opens the door to other countries in Asia and other regions,” he said yesterday in a briefing.

PFA chair emeritus Samie Lim said the group aimed to make the Philippines the gateway to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations market by bringing more foreign brands here, and then taking homegrown brands to international markets.

“This year, we’re bringing in some European franchises. The Europeans are now considering the Philippine market because their own market is bad and they have to look for new markets. They’re looking at growth in Asia, which is faster at 6 percent than Europe’s 3 percent,” he said.

For those seeking to become their own boss, he said a franchise was one of the best businesses to get into, especially during crisis times.