Chicago, November 17, 2008 (word count: 579)

High-resolution logos are available on request.

Franchising in France dates back to the 1930s, just like in the United States. In the early 1970s, this tendency started to grow faster and to expand in all sectors of the economy. France is the European leader in franchising, and U.S. consumers have a long history of appreciating French products for their quality and savoir-faire. From January 9 to 11, 2009, the French Trade Commission in New York in hosting a French pavilion to highlight 15 French brands at Franchise Expo South in Miami. Located in Hall C in the Miami Beach Convention Center, these brands are some of the most innovative and successful in France and Europe and are looking to expand their presence to the United States and Latin America.

The exhibitors include:

ABiTHEA: An online real estate network that offers comprehensive search options, financial calculators, and virtual home tours that puts the customer in contact with top real estate agents .

AC Franchise: The one-stop online shop for all franchising opportunities in France. Registration is free, and members can search for opportunities in a certain sector or by brand name. Members benefit from access to franchising guidelines and tips, employment opportunities, news, trade show information, and more.

Body Minute: Women’s wellness center that offers monthly memberships for beauty services including facials, epilation, manicures, massage, slimming techniques, tanning, and more without needing to schedule appointments. Franchises include four full-time trainers/estheticians and retail body and facial care products.

Fidelio: A trusted matching service for singles for more than 30 years, and the top matching service in France offering a personalized and professional approach. Fidelio offer quality training and on-going education for its employees to retain a comprehensive, professional, and respectful relationship with clients.

Gautier: Clean, creative, functional, and modular. This furniture designer and manufacturer just opened its first U.S. concept store and has collections for children’s rooms, adult bedrooms and living rooms, home offices, and even does contract work for hotels.

MARCOSERUSSI: An original retail apparel concept with an Italian flavor dedicated to men that centers around shirts and includes ties, sweaters, sports shirts, fashion accessories, and more. This convivial store presents MARCOSERUSSI products, a wide range of articles combining fashion and quality at a reasonable price.

Nooï: The pasta-to-go restaurant. Boasting a fast, fresh, and healthy meal, offered to the customer by a friendly face that keeps them coming back. Nooï preps everything before the customer’s eyes: cooking, adding sauce, mixing, toppings, and packing it up in a heat-retaining container that’s easy to carry in one hand.

Peach Up: Wellness club that offers a customized fitness program replete with low-impact toning exercises on the latest workout machines, on-site estheticians, and personal coaches for motivation and a one-on-one approach to improving the physical and mental self.

Relais de Paris: A single-menu restaurant concept that centers around a turn-of-the-century French bistro design, and an inimitable namesake sauce. The meal begins with a walnut salad and is followed by a main course of sliced sirloin with the mellow yet spicy sauce and an unlimited amount of homemade french fries.

Réserve Naturelle: A multicolored cosmetics concept inspired by the wide-ranging scents of the founder’s background as a perfumer. Three of Reserve Naturelle’s products, facial cream, eyeshadow, and purse-sized perfumes, won acclaim at France’s Victoires de la Beauté competition in 2008.

For more information, please contact:

FRENCH TRADE COMMISSION IN NEW YORK
Michael Ehrlich
Trade Attaché – Marketing and Distribution
Tel.: (212) 400-2185
E-mail: michael.ehrlich@missioneco.org

or:

FRENCH TECHNOLOGY PRESS OFFICE
205 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 3740
Chicago, IL 60601
Fax: (312) 327-5261
E-mail: contact.ftpo@ubifrance.fr

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