With 11 freshly signed franchise deals and over 40% year-over-year growth, Entrepreneur magazine’s No. 1 bakery café brand is poised to meet, if not exceed, its goal of 160 new franchise deals and 64 units opened in 2023. That’s according to a Wednesday announcement from Paris Baguette, the bakery café concept with 4,000 units worldwide including over 120 in the U.S.
Paris Baguette saw significant growth in 2022 and is showing strong growth early in 2023. After an explosive 2022, with a total of 24 new cafés opened and 125 signed agreements, the brand is continuing its expansion with the opening of a new bakery café at 200 Market St. in Montvale.
“We are thrilled to announce our new opening within New Jersey. There’s a tremendous amount of opportunity in the bakery café space,” Mark Mele, chief development officer, stated. “No one else is doing what we are on the same scale, and that’s attracting a lot of attention. It’s a really exciting time for us, as we continue seeing growth through franchise expansion and year-over-year revenue numbers.”
The Montvale café is corporate owned and will bring the total number of locations within New Jersey to eight.
Moving forward, the brand continues to eye the 1,000-unit mark within the U.S. by 2030 as it continues to grow. Mele explained that Paris Baguette seeks passionate franchisees interested in serving people in a welcoming neighborhood establishment.
“We want someone who is going to take the time to be present in their store and be caring with the staff, so that everyone understands the most important person is the guest,” he added.
Though the bakery market as a whole has become a nearly $12 billion segment, Paris Baguette continues to fill the void for high-quality, freshly made foods. Unlike many bakery concepts, which have shifted to soups, salads and premade bakery items, Paris Baguette continues to offer a wide range of products produced in the café daily.
For franchisees looking to enter the bakery café space, the brand provides exceptional support without straying from its roots as a true bakery concept.
“We are on track to enter new markets and open a total of 64 units by the end of 2023,” T.J. Rogers, franchise sales manager, said. “Even throughout the pandemic, we did not shy away from opening additional units and exploring new markets. With great year-over-year revenue increases — a 42% jump from last year — and a persistent interest in the brand from franchisees and consumers alike, we expect nothing but a strong continued growth trajectory for the brand.”
