The Kuala Lumpur-based franchise group expects to open its first bakery-café in Thailand during the second half of 2025 after signing a license agreement with SPC Group
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A Berjaya Food-operated Paris Baguette store at Kuala Lumpur Airport, Malaysia | Photo credit: SPC Group
Malaysia’s Berjaya Food has signed a master franchise agreement with SPC Group subsidiary Paris Baguette Southeast Asia to operate Paris Baguette in Thailand.
In a joint statement, both parties said they intend to make Thailand a central hub for Paris Baguette in Southeast Asia, with the first store of the deal expected to open in the second half of 2025.
The agreement expands the partnership between Kuala Lumpur-based franchise group Berjaya Food and Paris Baguette parent company SPC Group following licensing agreements in Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei over the last two years.
Berjaya Food has opened eight Paris Baguette stores in Malaysia since launching the brand in the Southeast Asian country in January 2023 and opened the first two Paris Baguette sites in the Philippines in April and September 2024. The deal to bring Paris Baguette to Brunei was signed in June 2024, with a first store expected this quarter.
“We are excited to extend Paris Baguette’s reach into Brunei and Thailand, two vibrant markets with growing demand for premium café experiences. This expansion is part of our long-term strategy to bring world-class dining concepts to the global stage,” said Dato’ Sydney Quays, CEO, Berjaya Food.
The agreement also reflects Berjaya’s ‘commitment to establish a stronger footprint in underserved markets’, the group added.
The move comes as Berjaya Food seeks to offset falling sales at its 405-store Starbucks franchise in Malaysia, which has faced ongoing consumer boycotts along with other western brands in the country.
Berjaya Food has struggled to counter misperceptions about the US coffee chain’s stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict and temporarily closed 25 underperforming stores in its most recent quarter.
As part of a strategy to boost sales internationally, Berjaya Food secured licensing rights to operate Starbucks stores in Denmark, Finland and Iceland in August 2024.
Alongside Paris Baguette and Starbucks, Berjaya Food also operates the Kenny Rogers Roasters fast-food chain and licensed Krispy Kreme locations in Malaysia.
Founded in 1988, Paris Baguette is the flagship brand of South Korean food company SPC Group. The bakery-café chain currently has 3,750 stores in its home market and more than 500 outlets across 11 international markets, primarily in East Asia.
Seoul-based SPC Group has signed a separate master franchise agreement with Vientiane-based Kolao Group to launch Paris Baguette in Laos in 2025.