600th overseas Paris Baguette opens in Toronto

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600th overseas Paris Baguette opens in Toronto

Published: 15 Oct. 2024, 14:53

KIM JU-YEON
kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr

SPC opened its 600th overseas Paris Baguette branch on Bloor Street in Toronto, Canada. [SPC GROUP]

SPC opened its 600th overseas Paris Baguette store on Bloor Street in Toronto, Canada, the bread manufacturer said Tuesday.

An additional 100 global stores have been added since the franchise launched its 500th branch in Singapore on Oct. 22 last year. This was made possible due to SPC Group Chairman Hur Young-in's active push for global expansion, the operator said.

SPC recently signed contracts to add more shops in Thailand, Brunei and Laos and is set to break ground for a halal-certified factory for its global products in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, toward the end of 2024.

Paris Baguette's recently opened shop on Bloor Street is the franchise's seventh in Canada and will serve as a flagship store, SPC said. Around 20 more branches are set to open in North America, adding to the 190 currently operating.

Paris Baguette has set itself apart from other bakeries with its East Asian-inspired confectionaries such as chiffon cake with whipped cream or stuffed croissants. Its overseas branches recorded 650 billion won ($477 million) in revenue last year, according to SPC.

At home, Paris Baguette has been grappling with boycotts stemming from safety and union-busting controversies surrounding the parent company. Two factory workers at SPC's manufacturing facilities died in 2022 and 2023, sparking public anger over the lack of safety precautions for workers at Korea’s biggest confectionery and bakery company.

The chairman of SPC — also the domestic operator for Shake Shack, Dunkin' and Baskin Robbins as well as domestic brands Paris Croissant and SPC Samlip — was recently granted bail by a Seoul court after being indicted over allegedly coercing union members at an SPC subsidiary to quit their union.

BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]