Thanks to the booming Internet development, entrepreneurs-to-be for the first time ranked online business as one of their most favored sectors, an online survey found yesterday.
Opening virtual stores is ranked fifth on the Top-10 list, securing 7 percent support from the 1,000 respondents. The food and beverage sector remains the mainstream, taking up six places on the list including breakfast stores, beverage shops, coffee shops and fast-food chains, according to the information compiled by the Association of Chain and Franchise Promotion (
"The lower capital requirement for setting up online businesses has made it attractive to young people, who have shown greater interest in becoming their own bosses," said the association's secretary general Beryl Lee (李培芬) at a press conference yesterday.
There are now 1,366 franchises headquartered in the country, with 450,000 workers employed in 80,000 stores, Lee said.
As the new labor pension plan to be implemented on July 1 is expected to affect the job market, the association suggested that those planning to join the franchise business should first focus on successful brands, as headquarters would be capable of providing better know-how and management assistance, association chairman William Wang (王國安) said.
This way, entrepreneurs could avoid pursuing a temporary fad, like Portuguese-style egg tarts and Hong Kong-based shaved-ice chain Hui Lau Shan (許留山), both of which quickly pulled out of the market due to poor performance.
The association will present a Taipei International Chain and Franchise Exhibition at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall I starting tomorrow. The show is expected to draw more than 120,000 visitors during its four-day run, the organizer said.
The show will have 400 booths, featuring 150 local and international franchise brands. It will be open from 10am to 6pm daily.
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