"We have dinner at Paris Baguette every Sunday evening after grocery shopping."
I visited a Paris Baguette outlet on Oct. 18 in Westchester, a city of 48,000 people about 5 kilometers from Los Angeles International Airport. Alia, whom I met there, said stopping by the bakery every Sunday had become part of her family's routine.
Like Alia's family, other customers arrived carrying shopping bags after visiting Trader Joe's supermarket, picking out bread before heading home. By 7 p.m., most of the display shelves, which had been fully stocked earlier, were nearly empty.
At the North Hollywood store visited on Nov. 23 we could see how Paris Baguette has become part of local consumers' daily lives. Parents with children chose ghost-shaped donuts and cakes topped with worm jelly in anticipation of Halloween.
On the other side, an office worker opened a laptop and enjoyed coffee and bread. Employee Johnny Santiago said, "There is a perception that bakeries frequently visited by locals have many packaged breads, which lacks freshness. Paris Baguette fills its shelves with fresh bread every morning, and customers love it."
When Paris Baguette opened its first store in the United States in 2005, it set a goal to become a "neighborhood bakery." As a result, the number of stores surpassed 300 this year, and performance has gradually improved. Last year's U.S. revenue was 585 billion won, an increase of about 30% from the previous year.
Repeat visit sales and visitor numbers have also increased for six consecutive years. In line with growth, it is expanding its local production base. It plans to build a bakery factory in Texas and gradually expand production lines to establish a production and supply system covering all of North America.
By 2030, the scale will be approximately 28,000 square meters in total floor area, with an annual maximum production capacity of 500 million units. The factory will also serve as a hub to help enter the Central and South American markets in the future.
I visited Paris Baguette's Thiso Mall Sala outlet in Ho Chi Minh City on Oct. 26. Although it was well past lunchtime, local customers could be seen throughout the store eating bread and salads while working on their laptops.
Tran Thi Huong, a woman in her 30s, said, "I often have lunch here and get some work done at the same time. The menu is varied and the space is comfortable, making it a good place to spend time."
Located in Thu Thiem, an emerging affluent district of Ho Chi Minh City, the outlet offers a wide range of products tailored to the area's concentration of upscale residential and office complexes.
Its selection includes popular Korean items such as sausage bread as well as Vietnam-specific products such as pork floss bread. Another distinctive feature is its coffee, made with the more expensive Arabica beans rather than Robusta beans, which are native to Vietnam.
The Thiso Mall Sala outlet ranks No. 2 in sales among Paris Baguette stores in Vietnam. Since entering the Vietnamese market in 2012, Paris Baguette has opened nine outlets, including six in Ho Chi Minh City and three in Hanoi.
Last year, it laid the groundwork for further expansion by signing a master franchise agreement with local food and beverage company Viet Thai International.
Paris Baguette's overseas growth strategy reflects the global vision of Hur Young-in, chairman of Samlipdang Holdings, who has focused on building a business foundation tailored to local consumer cultures.
Since the mid-1990s, Hur has prepared for overseas expansion through local market research conducted by dispatched employees and the development of specialized talent. Beginning with its entry into China in 2004, the company has since developed North America and Southeast Asia into its two major growth pillars.
Rather than prioritizing rapid store expansion, Hur has emphasized establishing the brand in the daily lives of local consumers and pursuing sustainable growth over speed.
The approach combines the expertise of local employees and partners familiar with their markets with the company's baking technology and operational know-how. Investments in local production facilities to strengthen its supply network in the United States and business expansion through partnerships in Vietnam reflect Hur's global strategy.
As a result, Paris Baguette has grown into an established global bakery brand operating more than 750 stores in 13 countries. It had 331 stores in the United States as of last month and continues to expand its overseas business, particularly in North America and Southeast Asia.
in LIVING
