Recruiting in China

CHINESE people are perceived as more likely to be their own boss running a business and this spirit of entrepreneurship is what franchise owners at an exhibition are hoping to tap into.

"Chinese are more enterprising than other people. We have the feeling they are more likely to do their own business rather than work for others," Anton Widjaja, vice president of PT Top Food Indonesia, the operator of the country's biggest fast-food chain 77 Esteler Juara Indonesia.

The company, which has 180 stores in Singapore, Australia and Indonesia, is looking for a master franchisee to tap the Chinese market. It aims to open the first store in Shanghai by the end of the year and open at least 10 stores within 2 years in cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

The two-day 2008 Shanghai International Franchise Exhibition, which opened yesterday at the Shanghai International Exhibition Center, has lured 100 franchise owners and huge crowds. Among the exhibition participants were names in the dining industry such as Dio Coffee and Dicos fried chicken.

Franchising has seen an encouraging growth in China as it provides an easy way to do business and help brand owners to rapidly grow business in a market they may not be familiar with.

Last year, the sector in China's mainland jumped 16 percent, with more than 2,600 franchisers operating in the country and over 200,000 franchised outlets, the Ministry of Commerce said.