SFE Shanghai 2026

SFE Shanghai 2026 will be held from March 30 to April 2, 2026 in Shanghai Puxi Hongqiao at the National Exhibition and Convention Center, and it is presented as the 41st edition of the event. The organizer positions the show as a high-efficiency franchise investment marketplace that supports the full decision cycle for both sides of the deal: brands looking for scalable expansion and investors looking for validated business models with clear operational policies. For 2026, the official communication outlines a focused, trade-oriented scale of around 30,000 square meters, gathering 300+ quality exhibitors and running 25+ professional forum activities, with an expected 70,000+ professional visitors, which is relevant for buyers who need density of options and for franchisors who rely on qualified lead volume rather than general footfall. The same 2026 messaging also highlights deep integration with HOTELEX Shanghai’s hospitality and catering ecosystem, which increases cross-traffic and strengthens the practical sourcing environment for foodservice chains and their supply partners.

SFE is structured around four major sectors—catering, retail, services and “chain store resources”—and the official show description emphasizes coverage of 120+ mainstream market sub-formats, which helps visitors navigate franchise opportunities by category and operating logic rather than by random booth discovery. The event’s positioning is explicitly “multi-format” and investment-driven, combining store model observation, product and service experience, activity-based communication, and commercial negotiation in one workflow, so buyers can move from first impression to policy comparison and shortlisting without leaving the show. For franchisors, this structure supports brand expansion discussions with investors who are already in a decision context, while for visitors it supports rapid evaluation of category economics, differentiation and operational maturity across competing brands. The content framework and the show’s activity system are designed to align business matchmaking with market signals, enabling attendees to capture sector trends and investment hotspots while turning those insights into concrete meetings, follow-up plans and pipeline building.

SFE’s participant model is built for decision-makers and professional audiences that influence chain expansion, investment and store opening, rather than consumer browsing. On the exhibitor side, the show attracts franchise brands and chain operators across food, retail and service categories, while the “chain resources” segment brings in suppliers and service providers that support store rollout, including design services, equipment and raw material supply, logistics, finance, property and other enabling services. On the visitor side, the event is designed for professional investors, operators and channel partners who need to compare business policies, assess store formats and evaluate operational capability, which is why the organizer emphasizes precise and efficient matchmaking between brands and professional audiences. The official event messaging for 2026 underlines scale expectations and the role of professional activities and forums, positioning the show as a place where market information symmetry is improved through structured sessions and direct negotiations, helping participants validate their decisions with industry context rather than relying only on marketing claims.

SFE’s exhibit scope is designed to support both franchise brand selection and the operational build-out required to open and scale chain stores across regions. Beyond the core franchise brand showcases in catering, retail and services, the show explicitly includes a “chain resources” segment that covers store opening enablers such as end-to-end design services, equipment and ingredient or material supply, logistics solutions, financial services, and business support services that help franchisors and investors reduce rollout friction and improve store-level performance. This matters commercially because franchise success is rarely determined by brand identity alone; it depends on supply stability, standard operating procedures, training capability, compliant marketing, and the ability to replicate unit economics across multiple sites. By combining brand discovery with resource sourcing in one venue, SFE allows investors to validate not only what they will sell, but also how the brand supports store execution, procurement, operations and expansion in real-world conditions.

The 41st SFE is officially announced for Shanghai Puxi Hongqiao at the National Exhibition and Convention Center, a venue model that supports large-scale co-located business events and dense meeting schedules. For professional visitors, the Hongqiao location is operationally significant because it is designed for high-throughput trade attendance and allows teams to structure sourcing and negotiation across multiple days with minimal downtime, which is important when evaluating multiple brands in parallel and comparing policy terms, investment requirements and supply-chain readiness. In 2026, the show’s positioning includes integration with a major hospitality and catering exhibition ecosystem, further reinforcing the venue’s role as a consolidated marketplace where franchisors, investors and service providers can coordinate meetings, attend forums, validate product and service propositions and move toward actionable follow-up within the same trip window.

SFE was founded in 2005 and is jointly hosted by the Shanghai Chain Enterprise Association together with Shanghai Bohua International Exhibition Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Yibishun Exhibition Co., Ltd., positioning the event as an industry-linked platform rather than a generic consumer expo. The organizer narrative emphasizes professionalism and market orientation, and it frames the show as a high-trust bridge between quality franchise brands and investors through precise matchmaking services and a structured activity system that includes summits, brand roadshows, resource matching and industry selection programs. This organizer model is important for exhibitors because franchise expansion depends on qualified lead acquisition and credible negotiation environments, and it is important for visitors because it increases the probability that participating brands are prepared for structured discussions around franchise policy, store operations, training, supply support and scalable growth.