Berjaya Food Berhad and Paris Baguette Singapore plc announced their joint venture agreement to open the South Korean bakery across Malaysia, it’s 8th international market in the world.
Under the terms of agreement, Berjaya Food will have 50% ownership and will be the principal operators of the Paris Baguette stores locally. The chain bakery will be established in cities across the country, beginning with its first store in Klang Valley sometime at the end of this year.
Paris Baguette is a French-inspired bakery founded in South Korea in 1988. It is a premium bakery brand, introducing and developing European-style bakery culture for the first time in Korea. It also claims to be the No. 1 bakery chain in South Korea with over 3,400 stores, and more than 440 locations across the United States, China, France, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Singapore. The stores have been a backdrop across various K-Dramas and backed by various Korean celebrities as the brand’s official spokesperson.
The collection of pastries, breads and cakes at Paris Baguette are all baked fresh daily to offer a unique experience to thousands of guests daily with good foods and good people. The company’s success has primarily been driven by its emphasis to provide innovative fare with a modern and wide selection of fresh, clean and healthy products, it said.
With almost 30 years of experience in retail in the region, including operating the Starbucks retail stores in Malaysia and Brunei, Berjaya Food Berhad will have the exclusive rights as the local operating licensee of the Paris Baguette stores in Malaysia. The strategic partnership is also part of Berjaya Food’s broader retail push to be a more inclusive food & beverage group on the main market in Bursa.
In addition, Paris Baguette’s parent company, SPC Group has begun the initial stages of building their regional manufactory and distribution centre named SPC Centre, Johor. The group plans to obtain Halal certification for this centre. Once completed, the centre will cater the Southeast Asia and the Middle East market, including Malaysia.