Panera Bread currently operates 2,182 stores across the US and Canada | Photo credit: Panera Bread

San Francisco-based Flynn Group has expanded its licensed Panera Bread footprint with the acquisition of 13 cafés across Virginia and West Virginia from fellow franchisee Blue Ridge Bread Inc. 
 

Founded in 1999, Flynn Group operates a portfolio of over 2,900 fast-casual restaurants across seven brands, including Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Wendy’s, making it one of the largest franchise groups in the US. 

In a press release, Flynn Group said the deal, made for an undisclosed sum, forms part of its strategy to scale the bakery-café chain in eastern states.
 

“Panera is such a great, natural fit for our portfolio, which is why we were so eager to add the brand under the Flynn umbrella, and have devoted significant resources to growing with them,” said Greg Flynn, Founder and CEO, Flynn Group. 

The acquisition brings Flynn Group’s Panera Bread footprint to 145 stores across nine states, making it the third largest Panera Bread franchisee in the US, behind Covelli Enterprises and Manna Development Group – which operate approximately 300 and 155 licensed sites respectively. 

Flynn Group’s affiliation with Missouri-based Panera Bread began in 2015 when it acquired 47 locations in California and Washington. It now also owns and operates Panera Bread cafés in Pennsylvania, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia. 

Virginia-based Blue Ridge Bread was founded by former Panera Bread President Rick Postle, who led the bakery-café chain through its conversion from Saint Louis Bread Company to Panera Bread in 1997. 

Panera Bread was acquired by Luxembourg-based investment firm JAB Holding Company in July 2017 for $7.5bn, before being merged into fast-casual platform Panera Brands in August 2021, along with Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels. The bakery-café chain currently operates 2,182 stores across the US and Canada.