KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 18): Berjaya Paris Baguette Sdn Bhd, the 50:50 tie up between Berjaya Food Bhd (BFood) and Paris Baguette Singapore PLC, has opened its first store in Malaysia at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia is the fifth market in the region that the South Korean bakery cafe ventured into, according to a joint statement by both parties on Wednesday (Jan 18).

“We are thrilled with the grand opening of the Paris Baguette store in Malaysia and to be the principal operator of the brand locally,” said BFood group chief executive officer Datuk Sydney Lawrence Quays.

“With the opening of the first store, Malaysians can anticipate more stores to be opened in cities across the country,” he said.

At a press conference after officiating the opening ceremony on Wednesday, Sydney told reporters that Berjaya Paris Baguette intends to open another five outlets going forward.

“On average, an outlet like this one [in Pavilion KL] would require about RM2 million in capex (capital expenditure); so we are looking at about five locations, plus minus about RM10 million,” he said.

Paris Baguette, a global bakery chain business which started in 1988, is a subsidiary of South Korean foods and confectionary conglomerate SPC Group.

Paris Baguette currently owns over 4,000 stores around the world, including 3,400 in South Korea, and 440 scattered over the US, China, France, Canada and Southeast Asia.

“We are pleased to partner with BFood to bring Paris Baguette to Malaysians. This partnership allows us to further increase our presence in the Southeast Asian market,” said CEO of Paris Baguette Southeast Asia, Hana Lee.