Paris Baguette to invest more than RM130 million towards their first Halal certified bakery manufactory in the world

KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 (Bernama) -- Paris Baguette Singapore, owned by South Korean food and beverage giant SPC Group, announced their first Paris Baguette Halal certified bakery manufacturing and distribution centre to be built in Johor, Malaysia.

Dubbed SPC Centre, Johor, the construction is set to begin in the third quarter of this year and will involve a total investment expected to exceed RM130 million. The facility is slated to be operational in June 2023. Johor-based SPC Centre will manufacture about 100 items such as bread, cakes, and desserts to supply to Paris Baguette outlets in Southeast Asia countries including Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia. The facility will also serve as a production and distribution hub to supply to future Halal markets such as the Middle East countries. Notably, the new facility is expected to create close to 100 new job opportunities.

SPC Group Chairman, Mr. Huh Young-in said, “The SPC Centre, Johor, will act as a cornerstone of our Southeast Asia business expansion and aid in the venture into the Middle East. SPC Group is looking forward in contributing to the huge global Halal food market potential of over USD2 trillion. The new Johor-based facility will span 16,500 square metre and will be located at Nusajaya Tech Park (NTP). NTP is a strategic location with seamless access to international airports and seaports in both Singapore and Malaysia that connects to all major cities in Asia supporting its business expansion into the Southeast Asia and Middle East region.

In addition to the strategic location and friendly business policies, Malaysia is also an ideal investment destination for us due to its Halal landscape. We will continue to invest aggressively to accelerate our global expansion.”

SPC Group also aims to build an additional global manufacturing and distribution centre in Malaysia that will expand and support the company’s production. The company will focus on the Muslim market, which accounts for 24% of the world's population or 1.9 billion people, through its Halal certification.

Malaysia had a head start in building a well-structured Halal regulation and ecosystem. The Federal Government’s Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) and Halal Development Corporation Berhad (HDC) lead this dynamic industry with a vast pool of knowledgeable talent and well-established infrastructure in applying the Halal Industry Master Plan 2030.

“As pioneers in the Halal industry, we have the responsibility to continue to lead and facilitate Halal-related industries. MIDA in its capacity has facilitated 15 food manufacturing projects amounting to RM1.5 billion with dedicated Halal incentives, utilising state-of-the-art machineries and processes, creating 1,749 food-tech job opportunities in ‘ready-to-eat’ (RTE) products, bakery products, frozen food products, confectionery products, instant noodles, snack foods and processed poultry products. To strengthen the Halal F&B manufacturing further, we are delighted to welcome the SPC Group through its subsidiary Paris Baguette Logistics Sdn. Bhd. into Malaysia. We hope to continue attracting high-value players like SPC Group who support our National Investment Aspirations (NIA) by injecting new knowledge, create new job opportunities for local talent and offer more collaborative options to local vendors,” shared Datuk Arham Abdul Rahman, Chief Executive Officer of Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA).

The brand founded in 1988 has been progressively and successfully growing its presence in Southeast Asia. Expansion to markets such as Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia. In addition, Paris Baguette is engaging with potential partners to expand Paris Baguette outlets in Malaysia. The brand is also set to open its 100th store in the United States with plans to open its first flagship store in Toronto, Canada this year. The franchise is also set to further expand in China and the United Kingdom.

About MIDA
MIDA is the government's principal promotion agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and TikTok.

About Paris Baguette
Paris Baguette, born in 1988, is a global bakery chain business and subsidiary of the SPC Group, a leading South Korean food and confectionery conglomerate. From the modest beginnings, the chain had grown steadily and grew into the No.1 bakery in Korea. From 2004, the brand started to branch out to local subsidiaries in the U.S. China, Vietnam, and Singapore and today, it owns over 4,000 units globally including 3,400 in South Korea, 440 plus outlets across the United States, China, France, Canada, and Southeast Asia becoming a truly global premium bakery brand. Its mission to satisfy cravings and taste buds of all ages and backgrounds still continous with the spirit of Sangmidang, which is to not leave a single piece of bread unchecked, is still with us 75 years later.

About SPC Group
SPC Group is a Korea-based global food company, with more than seventy years of history and experience in the Korean market with companies including SPC SAMLIP Co., LTD., Paris Croissant Co., LTD and BR Korea Co., LTD (Baskin Robbins, Dunkin’ Donuts) and 30 undisputable brands across 7,000 stores. SPC Group owns and operates brands such as Paris Baguette, Paris Croissant, Passion 5, Coffee@Works, LaGrillia, Queens Park, Vera, StrEAT and Bizeun covering the bakery, dessert, and restaurant business worldwide.

SPC Group has successfully introduced global brands to the Korean market including Baskin Robbins, Dunkin’ Donuts, Caffe Pascucci, LINA’s, Jamba Juice, Shake Shack and Eggslut. The bakery brand, Paris Baguette, has entered markets overseas including France, the US, China, Singapore, and Vietnam with over 440 stores. In addition, SPC Group is striving to pursue its mission to make the society healthier and happier by fulfilling their social responsibilities and cooperating with stakeholders to lead a healthy food culture and grow into a Great Food company loved by the globe.

Associated images for the media release can be found at
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ifNxmxrnEAEhi6SDYh6f78KhjkpObW1H?usp=sharing

SOURCE: Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name: Ms. Manjit Kaur Balkar Singh
Director, Food Technology and Resource-Based Industries Division, MIDA
Tel: +603-2267 3509
Email: manjit@mida.gov.my 

Name: Ms. Hanna Yoo
Marketing and Communication, Manager
Tel: +65 8355 9095
Email: hanna.yoo@parisbaguette.com.sg 

--BERNAMA