South Korea’s leading bakery franchises, Tous Les Jours and Paris Baguette, are making big strides overseas in tandem with the rise of Korean contents and soft power.

Tous Les Jours has kept up a surplus for four straight years and Paris Baguette is expanding to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe on successful landing in the United States and China.

Tous Les Jours, under food service company CJ Foodville runs 340 shops in six countries, including China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mongolia, and Cambodia, after its first advance into the U.S. market in 2004.

It directly managed its overseas shops at the initial stage to solidify the sales base and started to open franchise stores in 2009. ‘

The bakery offers 300 items, ranging from pastries and croissants to cakes, more than doubling the choices in local bakeries.

Its broad choices and sweet tastes have contributed to its success. Its U.S. operation, the first overseas business to post profits in 2018, has stayed in the black for the last four years.

Paris Baguette, under SPC Group, runs 440 shops in seven countries. After entering the U.S. and China in 2004, it has raised franchise ratio to 70 and 80 percent, respectively.

“The high ratio of franchise shops indicates that we are strong enough in the market to create profit for franchise shop owners,” said the company.

The brand has more than ten stores in Manhattan, New York, and plans to expand its stores in the U.S. to 1,000 in 2030 from current 96. It also expects to expand its franchise business in China, where it operates 300 stores.

The chain is readying foray in Southeast Asia. Last year, it set up a joint venture in Cambodia with its local partner HSC Group which operates Crystal Jade restaurants and opened a store in Phnom Penh. Its first shop in Jakarta, Indonesia, had overachieved its target by three times.

It is currently looking for locations for shops in Canada and Britain for opening before the end of the year. It attributes to localized taste to its success in global expansion.

By Jin Young-hwa and Jenny Lee

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