France’s Bagelstein to enter India with plans for 100 stores by 2029

Bagelstein operates 70 stores in France alongside sites in Italy, Luxembourg and Switzerland | Photo credit: Bagelstein/Facebook

French bakery-café chain Bagelstein is set to enter India after granting master franchise rights to Haryana-based franchise group FranGlobal. 
 

Founded in Strasbourg in 2011, Bagelstein operates 70 stores in France alongside a handful of sites in Italy, Luxembourg and Switzerland.  

The company’s CEO Thierry Veil said the brand had taken its time to enter the ‘important’ Indian market and has set its sights on opening 100 locations across the country over the next five years. Outlet growth will initially focus on the major cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Pune. 

Founded in 1998, FranGlobal has worked with several prominent international food and beverage chains seeking growth in India, including The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Gloria Jean’s, KFC, McDonald’s and Baskin Robbins. 

“We have joined hands with Bagelstein as a master franchisee for its India operations. The brand has a great market in Europe, especially in France, and is a very scalable concept as a brand,” said Venus Barak, CEO, FranGlobal.  

FranGlobal is also facilitating Belgian bakery-café chain Le Pain Quotidien’s re-entry into India. The brand, which exited the market during the pandemic, will recommence operations in India with two flagship stores in Mumbai before expanding to other major Indian cities. Le Pain Quotidien is seeking to open more than 100 outlets across India by 2035.