Paris Baguette Identifies New York as a Prime Market for Franchise Growth

Paris Baguette, the bakery café concept with 4,000 units worldwide including over 135 in the United States, is eyeing New York for further growth after a strong year of expansion in 2022. Last year, the brand executed over 130 franchise agreements in the U.S. and opened nearly 30 new cafés.

“We had a great response to franchise sales last year, with over 130 franchise agreements signed,” said Mark Mele, chief development officer of Paris Baguette’s North America division. “After seeing how well our New York locations performed in 2022, we’re excited to extend this wave of development, channeling it into the incredible New York market.”

Last year, the NYC locations performed incredibly, noting a 48.3% increase in sales and a 21.5% jump in guest count.

There are 28 Paris Baguette stores in New York City already, and a total of 31 open in the state, but the brand is looking to add 25 more in the next 3 years. The market can support at least 30 additional locations before saturation, and Mele says Brooklyn, Manhattan and The Bronx are priority markets.

With a new location currently in the works, the Paris Baguette brand continues to infiltrate New York communities. 

Yeong Shim, a New York businessman, owned supermarkets in the city for over a decade prior to deciding to open a Paris Baguette. However, when customer volume decreased after the pandemic, Shim knew Paris Baguette could provide a boost. With a Paris Baguette opening in his Fulton Market store, Shim is meeting additional demand for the concept’s fresh-baked goods in the area while reinvigorating the atmosphere of the market itself.

“I’ve known and loved this brand for a long time,” he explained. “I’m excited to bring the product to a new community and add one of my favorite brands to my supermarket.”

Support and Benefits for Franchisees in the New York Market

Franchisees who choose to bring additional locations to New York will enjoy the countless benefits of the brand’s development efforts in the state. With a well-established brand identity, Paris Baguette is a go-to for many New Yorkers’ fresh-baked bread and pastry needs. Moving forward, all new locations will follow the 3.0 prototype, yet another draw for traffic.

2022 was also a great year for the new prototype, which is a more modern, European design.

“Every time we open a 3.0 version, we get more guest count, which in turn increases our franchise sales lead flow and eventually leads to more franchise sales,” said Mele. “We’re seeding markets with these brand new units that are very exciting, and people are seeing the product and facility, which helps to fill out the balance of the market with new cafés.”

In addition to an attractive model, Paris Baguette offers unmatched support. With this, franchisees are well-equipped to open successful cafés and continue to scale with the brand. Between equipment recommendations, back-of-house training, leadership and HR training, franchisees have a robust toolbox to guide them through the ownership experience.

“It’s all about the support,” Mele explained. “The more franchisees you have in one place, you’ve got to offer up the appropriate support. You’ve got to have the right people on board that can assist with the operations, marketing, training and everything else that goes with it. I think we’re more buttoned-up than we’ve ever been, and that will only get better as we progress with opening more units.”

The total investment to franchise with Paris Baguette ranges from $652,565 and $1,750,900 including a $50,000 franchise fee. For more information, please visit parisbaguette.com/franchising.