The franchised bakery-café chain, which operates 160 outlets across the US and four in Canada, is also seeking to open stores in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Guam
Paris Baguette North America opened six new US stores in the first quarter | Photo credit: Paris Baguette North America
Paris Baguette North America has reiterated its commitment to expanding further in the US and Canada following steady but slower first quarter outlet growth.
The bakery-café chain currently operates 160 outlets in the US and four in Canada, with a further 100 sites in development across the two markets.
Paris Baguette North America opened six new US stores in the first three months of 2024, with its first site in Hawaii setting a new opening day sales record for the franchise business. It also signed 27 new franchise agreements.
However, growth is significantly lower than the 13 new stores and 40 franchise agreements the business achieved in the first quarter of 2023.
In a press release, Paris Baguette North America said it has been focusing more on building internal infrastructures to support its bid to reach 1,000 outlets across North America by 2030. This includes boosting its finance, HR, operations, supply chain and marketing leadership with five internal promotions in January 2024.
Indicating its confidence in future outlet growth, the bakery-café chain recently announced it is seeking a master franchise partner to facilitate its launch in Mexico. Additionally, Paris Baguette North America has signed franchise agreements in the US territories of Puerto Rico and Guam.
“The versatility of the Paris Baguette model and demand for our product and experience is what has made us so successful. We know the brand is performing well in Canada, we’ve already signed agreements with franchisees in Puerto Rico and Guam, and our search for a Master Partner in Mexico is the start of expansion throughout Central America,” said Eric Lavinder, Chief Development Officer, Paris Baguette North America.
Paris Baguette North America plans to open its first store in Washington, US, in the second quarter of 2024 and is focused on outlet growth in the states of Texas, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky – as well as opening more stores across Canada.
Owned by South Korean food and beverage giant SPC Group, Paris Baguette launched in the US in 2005 and opened its first store in Canada in March 2023. There are currently more than 4,250 Paris Baguette stores across 11 markets globally.