SPC Group opened its first Paris Baguette bakery store in Malaysia, one of the Muslim countries in Southeast Asia, with hopes to expand into the halal markets in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

SPC Group announced Thursday that it opened the store on the third floor of Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, a premium multi-complex in Bukit Bintang, the largest commercial area in the country’s capital Kuala Lumpur. The store, called Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, is equipped with 94 seats in an area of 264 square meters. The store has been decorated as a European-style premium bakery caf? as it is located near the stores of luxury brands like Chanel and Louis Vuitton.

Paris Baguette’s entry into Malaysia comes after SPC Group joined hands with Berjaya Food Berhad, a giant retailer in Malaysia under Berjaya Group that is engaged in hotel, retail, and aviation businesses. Berjaya Food manages coffee chain Starbucks and convenience store 7-Eleven in Malaysia among other food and beverages outlets.

SPC Group and Berjaya Group set up a joint venture, Berjaya Paris Baguette in June last year and agreed to invest 40 billion won to build a halal production factory in Malaysia’s Johor Bahru.

Malaysia is one of the leading economies of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and a hub for the global halal market. More than 60 percent of the Malaysian population is Muslim and the country operates and manages Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM), which is the world’s most credible halal certification body.

Construction of the SPC factory in Johor Bahru will be completed in the second half of this year. It will have the capacity to produce about 100 different bakery items including bread, cakes, and sauces. The factory will act as a production base to supply products to the global halal market including the Middle East as well as countries where SPC stores are already located in such as Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

Once the halal factory in Malaysia begins operations, SPC Group plans to increase the number of Paris Baguette stores in Southeast Asia to 600 by 2030, up from the current 35 stores in five countries.

By Jin Young-hwa and Choi Jieun

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