IPOH, June 18 — The franchise business sector is not well received by entrepreneurs in Perak, said State Women, Family, Social Welfare, Cooperatives and Entrepreneur Development Committee chairman Salbiah Mohamed.

She said as the state executive council member responsible for the development of entrepreneurs, her team always supports and through the involvement and cooperation of the Perak State Entrepreneurs Secretariat (STeP) will try to help increase the number of Perak entrepreneurs who are interested in venturing into franchising.

“I was informed that there are fewer Perak entrepreneurs involved in the franchise business compared to neighbouring states.

“In this regard, in line with the Pelan Perak Sejahtera 2030, various entrepreneurship programmes will be implemented and coordinated by the Perak government through STeP so that the growth of the entrepreneurial sector, including the franchise sector, will be accelerated,” she said at a press conference after officiating at the Bizfrancais@Perak 2023 programme at a hotel here today.

The event was also attended by Perbadanan Nasional Bhd (Pernas) chairman Datuk Hazimah Zainuddin.

Salbiah said STeP will also involve Pernas in the Perak Entrepreneurs Open Day 2023 tour series which will be held in 12 districts of Perak to welcome entrepreneurs to dabble in the franchise business.

She said so far there are only 31 franchise companies in Perak including Jom Dim Sum, Daboba and 21 Grilled.

She added that assistance will be provided in terms of capital to start a business while Pernas is targeting an estimated total funding of RM6.1 million involving 22 companies in Perak for this year.

Salbiah said the lack of involvement of the state’s entrepreneurs is likely to be caused by the misconception that a franchise business requires a large amount of capital.

“Maybe it’s because they lack knowledge about the franchise business that exists in Malaysia.

“Hence with a programme like this, it is hoped that information about this business can be conveyed directly to entrepreneurs in this state and subsequently we can produce more franchise entrepreneurs in Perak,” she said. — Bernama