Paris Baguette continues to dominate the bakery franchise industry, signs agreement in Old Bridge

Paris Baguette, the bakery café concept, is continuing along an impressive growth trajectory with its most recent signing in Old Bridge.

“We are thrilled to announce additional expansion within New Jersey. There’s a tremendous amount of opportunity in the bakery café space,” Mark Mele, chief development officer, said. “No other bakery café franchisors are doing what Paris Baguette is on the same scale. Our ability to stay true to our bakery café roots while embracing aggressive expansion has garnered attention, and that only serves to drive us forward.”

The Old Bridge deal will bring the total number of locations within New Jersey to 28. The agreement was signed by Earl Koskie, who is pioneering the additional growth.

“When looking for the right franchise opportunity, Paris Baguette was the ideal fit because of its amazing product line, store design and proven response from communities throughout the United States,” Koskie said.

Moving forward, the brand continues to eye the 1,000-unit mark within the U.S. by 2030, and 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 put the right staff members in place in their store and ensure everyone understands the most important person is the guest,” Mele added.

Within the $17 billion bakery segment, Paris Baguette continues to differentiate itself by offering breads, cakes and pastries made fresh daily, unlike many other concepts that primarily offer soups, salads and other premade goods.

In 2023, Paris Baguette aims to sign 160 franchise agreements and open 64 new cafés. Mele said target markets for the coming year include Washington, California, Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Maryland. He added that the brand will continue its development in New Jersey and New York and expand in some additional states in New England, including Connecticut and Massachusetts.

“We are on track to enter 45 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 and its aftershocks, we did not shy away from opening additional units and exploring new markets. With great year-over-year revenue increases and a persistent interest in the brand from franchisees and consumers alike, we expect nothing but a strong continued growth trajectory for the brand.”