Global brands eyeing Sri Lanka :
Franchising will make a significant impact on economy:
Gaurav Marya
Sri Lanka hosted the country’s first-ever Global Franchise Forum (GFF) 2025 at the Sheraton Hotel, Colombo on April 27.
The event convened global franchise leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs to explore and capitalise on franchising opportunities within Sri Lanka’s burgeoning market.
Championing the event was Chairman, Franchise India Group, Gaurav Marya, a pioneering entrepreneur who has guided over 5,000 brands in setting up distribution networks. With franchising representing a $5 trillion global industry, Marya shared his insights on how the business model can transform Sri Lanka’s economic landscape and create new opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
“Sri Lanka’s political stability and infrastructure development create a huge opportunity for franchising. Having first visited the country in 2003, I have observed significant changes over the years.
I have also been coming every month to Sri Lanka for the last five months, and I can see the transformation taking place.
“I believe there are three key opportunities in the Sri Lankan market. First, global brands are now looking at Sri Lanka, especially from Asian countries. Sri Lankans live everywhere in the world, their awareness about brands is very high, but many of these brands are not available locally. Second, there is potential for Sri Lankan brands which have such a large capability of producing for the world.
“With rising global tariffs, there would be a huge opportunity to create Sri Lankan brands going global.Exporters need to create their own brands rather than just exporting products. Third, there is an opportunity to build a culture of entrepreneurship and startups within Sri Lanka. Which I think is a very big space, I feel a lot of people want to start their own business, but they do not have any guidance.
“Franchising will make a significant impact on Sri Lanka’s economy. In times to come, I feel that it would represent 5-7% of Sri Lanka’s economy. Franchising has the power to create entrepreneurs and jobs, importantly stimulating economic growth from within.Sri Lanka doesnot need FDI. It needs only Sri Lankans to invest in their own country. It is a small country; you can stimulate it well. A great deal can be done in this market with its natural tourism assets and other resources.
“Franchising is definitely a practical solution for economic recovery, as the interest in Sri Lanka has been outstanding when compared to other markets such as Qatar and Abu Dhabi. These are young people; they all want to start something for themselves. It is a phenomenal market.
“The potential of the Sri Lankan diaspora is also important. I have friends from Sri Lanka who live in Canada. They are very aware about brands. And obviously, every Sri Lankan loves their country, and when they come back – then we start triggering this within Sri Lanka and among Sri Lankans living outside. They would all start investing back and that is what we need to do.
“I have identified several key sectors with strong franchising potential. My focus is on consumer-facing businesses, which is food and beverage, fitness, and retail. We are very focused on education – I think skilling is a big opportunity.
“Also, health care and child development are big areas. We are pushing those categories in this market.Globally we have a network of 15 countries. The last forum was in Qatar, Abu Dhabi and next month in Malaysia and then Delhi.
“The GFF will be an annualised event – every year we plan to do this. The young Sri Lankan is very well educated. They study in Canada or anywhere in the world and come back to their home. They are looking at consumer-facing businesses, and the average person is becoming very aware about brands.I also see potential for Sri Lankan brands to go global and are currently working with a few names as we speak.
“I believe that you can only first start with education. Educating people how they can start their entrepreneurial journey. And then expose them to different opportunities. And then coach them to be successful entrepreneurs. We will do all three. We have a framework and we’ve done it in Middle East, in Southeast Asia, and alsoespecially in India.
“To achieve this, the GFF has set up a company in Sri Lanka, having only one purpose which is to democratise entrepreneurship and help people become entrepreneurs. It will be accomplished through lots of workshops, business coaching, and exposure to different opportunities.
“I mainly see four key challenges. The first challenge is mindset. When people in their own country sometimes donot believe that something is possible – that is a huge issue. The second challenge is infrastructure – businesses are housed in infrastructure, better shopping malls and high street locations are needed.
“Third is financing – people need support through easy financing. Fourth is ease of doing business, which relates to the environmental structure. If you address these four factors in order, this is a phenomenal market with phenomenal opportunity.
“I am talking to every chamber, and I am not biased on who is what. We have been readily supported by prominent organisations, including the Indo-Lanka Chamber of Commerce, the Ceylon National Chamber of Industries (CNCI), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Sri Lanka, the Colombo Chamber of Commerce, and the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL).
“I am a business enthusiast. I help businesses grow. The idea is to encourage entrepreneurship and genuinely make an effort to help businesses grow and scale.
Therefore, the forum received widespread endorsement emphasising the event’s significance in creating international franchise growth and economic development in the region,” he said.
