Find distributors, agents and franchise partners across Asia, the Middle East and Africa

Decide what kind of partner you need

• Distributor: buys your goods, holds stock and resells. Simple for you, but you give up some control over price and presentation;
• Sales agent: finds customers and earns commission while you sell directly. More control, more work on your side;
• Franchisee or licensee: runs your brand and system locally under agreed standards;
• Service partner: handles installation, after-sales or local marketing.

Knowing which model you want shapes who you approach and what you put in the agreement.

Write a partner brief

• Your product or brand, and where it already sells;
• The target country or region and the channels you want to reach (retail, wholesale, projects, online);
• What you provide: pricing structure, marketing support, training, samples;
• What you expect: annual plan, market coverage, after-sales capability;
• Territory and exclusivity you are prepared to offer, and on what conditions.

How to assess a potential distributor or agent

• Verify the company in the official registry and check that names match across documents; see How to check if a company is real;
• Ask which brands they already carry and whether any compete with yours;
• Understand their channels, coverage, warehousing and sales team in practical terms;
• Ask for references from brands or customers they work with, and follow them up;
• Visit, or ask for a video walk-through of the warehouse and showroom.

What to put in the agreement

• Territory and exclusivity, including any online sales rules;
• Term, renewal and performance targets, and what happens if targets are missed;
• Pricing, payment terms, minimum orders and who bears stock risk;
• Trademark use, marketing standards and approval of materials;
• Termination, handover of stock and customer data, and non-compete terms;
• Governing law, dispute resolution and which language version prevails.

Rules on agency and distribution, including compensation on termination, differ by country, so have a local lawyer review the draft.

If you are expanding by franchise

Prospective franchisees will ask who owns the brand, whether you can grant rights in their country, what every fee covers and what support is in the contract. Being ready with clear answers builds trust faster. Franchisees can use our checklist: Franchising a restaurant brand: six questions to ask.

Start with a pilot

A limited territory, a trial period or an initial order lets both sides test demand, service and communication before committing to exclusivity or large volumes.

How Chashe Tea Club helps

Post your partner search, or your distribution capability, in the Chashe group or through the project bot @ChasheTT_bot. State the product, target market, partner type and what you offer; leave contact details out. When the other side is interested and both agree, contacts are exchanged. Chashe provides a space to connect and does not endorse or guarantee any party.