KUALA LUMPUR: Berjaya Food Bhd has signed a master franchise agreement with Middle Trade Inc and Paris Baguette Singapore to introduce South Korea's café bakery in the Philippines.
The first store is slated to open in the fourth quarter of 2023, Berjaya Food said today.
Under the deal, Berjaya Food's unit Berjaya Food (International) Sdn Bhd and Middle Trade will be the principal operators of the Paris Baguette stores locally under Paris Baguette Philippines Inc.
The partnership is targeting to spread the brand's presence with more stores in key cities nationwide.
"This development came more than six months after a successful expansion in Malaysia, a feat which we hope will be replicated in the Philippines," said Datuk Sydney Quays, group chief executive officer of Berjaya Food.
Quays said Berjaya Food International, which is also the master franchisor of casual dining restaurant Kenny Rogers Roasters, has long seen the robust potential of the Philippine market with its local franchisee Middle Trade.
"The entry of Paris Baguette in the Philippines marks a milestone in our continuous expansion in the Asean region," he said at the signing in Manila.
Also present were South Korea's ambassador to the Philippines Lee Sang-Hwa, and president and CEO of SPC Group, a leading South Korean food and confectionery conglomerate, Hur Jin-Soo.
In his address, Hur shared how Paris Baguette, a French-inspired bakery founded in South Korea in 1988, gained global popularity.
"The brand's global success is rooted in the spirit of Sangmidang, which is to not leave a single piece of bread unchecked.
"This practice has put a name on Paris Baguette as a household bakery with about 3,500 stores in South Korea alone."
Paris Baguette premium bakery brand has been a leader in the Korean bakery industry by introducing and developing European-style bakery culture for the first time in Korea.
It is also the no. 1 bakery chain in South Korea with over 3,500 stores, and more than 480 locations across the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, China, France, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore.