After a strong first half of the year, with a total of 72 new franchise agreements signed, bakery-café chain Paris Baguette continued that momentum in July 2022 with 15 additional signings.

“There’s a tremendous amount of opportunity in the bakery café space,” says Mark Mele, chief development officer of Paris Baguette. “No one else is doing what we are on the same scale, and that’s attracting a lot of attention. It’s a really exciting time for us as we continue seeing growth through franchise expansion and year-over-year revenue numbers.”

The brand hopes to reach the 1,000 unit mark within the states by 2030. It has recently broken into Minnesota, Maryland and Florida markets, and is expected to sign agreements in Hawaii, Florida and Tennessee, with targets of opening 25 cafés by the end of August.

Mele says 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 adds 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 three new markets and open a total of 56 units by the end of 2022,” adds TJ Rogers, franchise sales manager. “Even throughout the pandemic, we did not shy away from opening additional units and exploring new markets. With great year-over-year revenue increases — a 42% jump from last year — and a persistent interest in the brand from franchisees and consumers alike, we expect nothing but a strong continued growth trajectory for the brand.”