Young children across Cambodia will soon be able to learn English with Pingu, thanks to a new and exclusive Master Franchise announced today by the Linguaphone Group.

Sok Im Holding, a holding company with investments across a diverse range of key growth sectors, including telecommunications, trading, and hospitality has been appointed the exclusive Master Franchise partner for Pingu’s English across Cambodia. The Cambodian-based company has extensive experience of managing international brands, as well as building substantial businesses from scratch. Headed up by Ms. Sodanin Sieng, Pingu’s English Cambodia will launch their first Pingu’s English School in central Phnom Penh early next year. They will also offer Pingu’s English Unit Franchise opportunities to investors across Cambodia.

Announcing the partnership today, Derek Price, CEO of the Linguaphone Group said:

“Appointing a partner for Cambodia has been a key target for the Linguaphone Group’s expansion plans across South-East Asia (SEA) this year. We are therefore delighted to welcome such a strong partner to the Pingu’s English family today. Launching our pre-school brand in Cambodia early next year will further build on our existing strong presence in the ASEAN markets of Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand.
“I would also like to pay credit to the British Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia, who made the initial introduction to our new Pingu’s English partner here. The Chamber’s support, professionalism and insight into the Cambodian market has been invaluable, and we look forward to working with them and our new partner there, to bring Pingu’s English to Cambodia in the months ahead”.

Commenting on their appointment, Ms. Sodanin Sieng, Pingu’s English Master Franchisee for Cambodia said:

“Sok Im Holding was always keen to expand our business into the education sector – we were just looking for the right opportunity. When the chance to secure the Pingu’s English Master Franchise came up, we were beyond excited! There is nothing like Pingu’s English in Cambodia. Not only is the teaching style unique and interactive for children, but the full range of support offered to us by the Linguaphone Group is very comprehensive. “We are very excited to launch Pingu’s English here early next year, and then develop and expand Pingu’s English throughout Cambodia in the years ahead!”

Mr. Ritchie Munro, Executive Director of the British Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia added:

“We have developed a fantastic working relationship with the Linguaphone Group, and together our teams have worked tirelessly to appoint this strong, reputable partner for Pingu’s English in Cambodia.

“Cambodia has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. We also have a young and dynamic population; with over 50% of the country under the age of 25. In our opinion, this makes Cambodia a perfect place for Pingu’s English to launch. So, we could not be happier with this announcement today, and are so proud that we have been able to contribute to bringing a leading British education brand such as Pingu’s English to Cambodia.”

Pingu’s English is a three-level pre-school English language program for 3-8+ years. It is already transforming the way that young children learn English in over twenty countries worldwide, using the entertaining and loveable character, Pingu™. Pingu’s English is produced by the Linguaphone Group, a global language training provider with a presence in over 40 countries worldwide, and over 110 years of experience in the language training sector.