Julie Waites from The Franchise Company is off to Saudi Arabia at the end of August as part of an extensive franchise project for a high-profile Saudi training organisation. Franchising continues to develop within the region with many franchisors looking to exploit the opportunities that the region presents. Training and education is an area that many Arab countries are looking to develop and franchising offers a method of knowledge transfer that is quicker and more effective that home grown businesses. ‘Franchising is growing in importance in all parts of the world, but it’s interesting to see that countries like Saudi Arabia are pushing franchises as part of their wider economic polices’ says Julie.