Le Macaron French Pastries Finds Its Sweet Spot for Growth in 2020

Macarons are a staple in French culture, but before 2009, the sweet, delicate treats weren’t that easy to find in America. Mother-daughter duo Rosalie Guillem and Audrey Guillem-Saba recognized that fact and took it upon themselves to bring the beloved French delicacy to the states and fill the gap in the market for a pastry concept that solely focuses on the macaron.

Le Macaron French Pastries was born in Sarasota, Florida in 2009, and over the past decade it has grown to more than 50 locations across 11 states.

As an industry leader, Le Macaron has focused on strong growth. In 2019, the brand expanded its national footprint and signed 11 new Franchise Owners for a total of 17 additional units. Linton Dowling, Marketing Director at Raintree and head of franchise development for Le Macaron, attributes the brand’s strong growth to a combination of several factors. “First, Le Macaron is just a great product in and of itself,” he said. “It’s a niche product that is continuously gaining popularity in the American market. Secondly, it has an awesome background/brand story: The mother-daughter duo bringing the product to America from France really resonates with people. Essentially, they brought something from their world to ours.”

“And thirdly, Le Macaron’s unit economics is really strong,” Dowling continued. “More and more we are seeing one-unit buyers turn into multi-unit operators. People are doubling up on their investment because they are seeing the return.”

Not only did Le Macaron expand its footprint with 17 additional units, but it also expanded into six new markets: Huntsville, Alabama; St. Louis, Missouri; Novi, Michigan; Austin, Texas; Alpharetta, Georgia; and San Diego, California. “It’s all about growth of the brand and bringing its unique product to new markets where people haven’t really experienced it before,” Dowling commented. “Take Huntsville, Alabama for example—I’m sure that community is really excited to receive a macaron cafe because it’s something most of them probably haven’t experienced yet. ”

Branching into new markets is key for any rapidly growing franchise, Dowling added.

A niche company like Le Macaron expanding by 17 units in one year illustrates strong growth potential, and in 2020, the brand is continuing to pursue its expansion goals. According to Dowling, Le Macaron has set a goal of signing around 25 new Franchise Owners in order to add an additional 32 units in 2020. “We realize that is an aggressive number, but we think Le Macaron is more than capable of achieving that,” he said. “The main reason we believe that is because of Le Macaron’s three types of business models: a traditional cafe, a kiosk, or a mobile cart. The option to choose one of the three provides Franchise Owners with a lot of flexibility—they have the option to go basically anywhere.”

Vital target markets for Le Macaron in 2020 include Chicago, Washington D.C., North and South Carolina, Texas, New York City, Connecticut, Colorado, Arizona, and New Orleans. When asked why these specific markets are key for the brand’s development, Dowling noted that they all share one thing in common: a strong suburban population outside of their respective “big” cities. “Large shopping centers and malls all have a significant presence in these markets, so we see an opportunity to really cement a footprint there,” Dowling said.

So, whether it’s a traditional cafe, kiosk or mobile cart, the timing has never been better to become a Le Macaron French Pastries Franchise Owner. As the original macaron franchise, Le Macaron has become the industry standard for these vibrant, hand-crafted, delicious treats made from authentic French ingredients and recipes—and the brand is perfectly positioned to achieve its 2020 growth goals.

The investment range associated with opening a Le Macaron French Pastries pâtisserie or kiosk is $84,350 to $361,500 with a $45,000 franchise fee. For more information about franchising opportunities with Le Macaron, please visit https://lemacaronfranchise.com/.