Korea’s No.1 bakery franchise successfully settles in US

Paris Baguette, South Korea’s top bakery franchise, has successfully settled in the US market, paving the way to expand its business throughout North America.

Paris Baguette, run by SPC Group, ranked the 38th biggest US-based franchise this year on the top 400 list, up from the 54th in 2020, compiled by Franchise Times, an American trade publication covering franchising in the country.

It was the first time for the bakery café to be among the 50 top franchises on the list, according to Paris Baguette on Dec. 22. Paris Baguette was the only non-US franchise among the top 50.

Franchise Times announces the ranking of the largest US-based franchise system every year based on analyses of the total sales for both franchise and company units. This year, McDonald’s topped the list, followed by 7-Eleven and KFC.

CANADA EXPANSION

Paris Baguette, which entered the US market in 2005, was on the verge of opening its 100th branch with stores in New York City's Times Square and others. It was a key to its success to provide customers with a “choice of fun,” offering more than 300 different products. The growing interest in South Korean foods along with Netflix’s megahit Squid Game also contributed to Paris Baguette’s performance there.

Riding on the success, Paris Baguette set up a unit in Canada in June 2020 to prepare for the first store in the country. Canada is a core market for the franchise’s global business since French culture dominates some areas of the nation, notably the province of Quebec.

The franchise plans to actively expand its Canadian business, especially around four key cities – Toronto, Vancouver, Quebec City and Montreal.

It operates franchise businesses in seven countries including Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Write to Jong-Kwan Park at pjk@hankyung.com
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.