Can the South Korean bakery chain, Paris Baguette, succeed in Italy? 

Written By Joel Silverstein
South Korea's Paris Baguette cafe

The SPC owned chain is partnering with the Italian based coffee chain, Pascucci, to open stores in the land of coffee and bakery. SPC has been a licensee of the Pascucci concept for more than 20 years and has opened 500+ locations during that time in Korea and across Asia. This strikes me more as a vanity project for SPC than anything else. Italy certainly has no shortage of good bakeries and coffee chops. Paris Baguette like Tous Les Jours (another Korean brand) and 85 Degrees C from Taiwan offer an Asian twist on Western bakery and the flavor profiles and bread textures (very soft) may not be too appealing to Europeans. There are lots of burger chains in the EU, but I am not aware of any that have been successful in the USA. How about Pizza Hut, Papa John's, and Domino's in Italy? You get the idea! I think these Asian bakery brands will have more success in the USA where there are large Asian immigrant populations.

Joel Silverstein

Joel Silverstein is a long-term resident of the Asia Pacific region and has helped leading international and local companies achieve sustained growth in overseas markets. As a former senior executive and experienced Board member, Silverstein is a frequent contributor to major media outlets on the topics of hospitality & retail, business practices in international markets, and succeeding in turbulent environments. He recently relocated to the United States after 40 years of residence overseas.

https://www.canyonspringsadvisors.com/our-team
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