Paris Baguette, a trend-setting bakery café, signed a Chicagoland agreement to open four new locations in the city, bringing the total number of Illinois units to 11, the company said in a press release.
A spokesperson with Paris Baguette told What Now Chicago that the company doesn’t have leases signed yet for these locations, but it is currently working on selecting the best spots to open its bakery café concept.
Li Peng Zeng, the franchisee who is leading Paris Baguette’s additional growth, has signed the agreement recently and said that Paris Baguette presented the ideal franchise opportunity because of its product line, store design, and the response it receives from communities across the United States, according to the company’s press release.
“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,” Zeng said in the press release. He told What Now Chicago that the new locations are expected to be open by this fall.
The Chicagoland agreement is part of Paris Baguette’s growth strategy that includes reaching the 1,000-unit mark in the U.S. by 2030. The company currently has nearly 150 locations in the United States. This year, Paris Baguette wants to sign 160 franchise agreements and open 64 new locations in the country.
“We are thrilled to announce additional expansion within Illinois. There’s a tremendous amount of opportunity in the bakery café space,” said Mark Mele, Paris Baguette America’s chief development officer, according to the press release. “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.”
Mele told What Now Chicago that Paris Baguette chose to expand in Chicago because it’s one of the top U.S. cities where the food company has been operating for more than five years already.
“We are looking to expand the brand by concentrating in more flagship type locations. Such as suburban retail shopping centers and grocer anchored centers, or Lifestyle centers. Downtown spaces are also still very appealing to us,” said Mele.
