With the successful landing of its brands such as Paris Baguette and Shake Shack overseas, SPC Group has been showing the strength of K-dining all around the world. It already has more than 430 stores in six countries such as China, USA, France, Vietnam, Singapore and Cambodia. Backed by positive reviews from customers around the world, SPC Group recently opened five additional stores abroad. They are Paris Baguette Saint-Michel boldly situated in Paris, France, which is the home of breads, Eggslut Orchard Square located in the urban heart of Singapore, Paris Baguette ION Orchard, Paris Baguette PLQ Mall, and Shake Shack Gardens by the Bay. Let’s take an online trip around the world to visit these new stores that have become hugely popular among locals as soon as they were opened.
Paris Baguette Saint-Michel in the heart of Paris, France
The first store we will visit is the Paris Baguette Saint-Michel branch that opened its doors in Paris, France. As the contract for its Opera store, which was the second Paris Baguette in France, expired, SPC Group decided to move the location to the center of Paris and open this new store. Saint-Michel, which is located on the southern side of the Seine River, is a place that many tourists visit thanks to the landmark attractions of Paris here such as Luxembourg Gardens and Notre Dame Cathedral. This area became even more famous for the jazz club that appeared in the movie ‘La La Land’ and ‘Shakespeare and Company’ in the film ‘Before Sunset.’ It is known to locals as one of the best food alleys of Paris near Sorbonne University.
The Paris Baguette Saint-Michel branch has a total floor space of 160㎡ and 20 seats. In order to preserve the unique vintage look of the old buildings of Paris, the exterior maintained the wooden facade. And the unique ‘bakery cafe’ concept of Paris Baguette was mirrored by creating an outdoor terrace where customers can enjoy a leisurely brunch. Outside of the store is a Snacking booth where customers can order menus such as waffles and sandwiches right away to conveniently use the outdoor terrace or quickly order to go.
The glass ceiling and granite showcase inside the store create an antique mood. It also has a nature-friendly atmosphere due to the interior using English hay. Paris Baguette Saint-Michel reinforced its ‘Grab & Go’ corner that offers an assortment of sandwiches for customers who enjoy their lunch at the Seine River near the store. Local experts such as pâtissiers who worked at famous hotels in Paris and professors from the French culinary school, Le Cordon Bleu were hired to invent breads tailored to locals. The bestselling items are French breads that locals prefer including baguettes, croissants, pain au chocolat, ham and cheese sandwiches, and chiffon cakes. Korean-style breads are also scheduled to be released to offer a new gastronomical experience to local customers.
Eggslut Arrives in Singapore
We will now head to Singapore. SPC Group opened the Eggslut Orchard Scotts Square branch in Singapore this month. This is the first Eggslut store to open in Singapore since buying the business and franchise rights for Eggslut in Singapore, an egg sandwich franchise based in LA of the United States. The first Eggslut store in Singapore is located on the first floor of the large shopping mall ‘Scotts Square’ in the busy Orchard area that is also the center of culture and arts with a total floor space of 265㎡ and 99 seats. The interior was designed with the neon sign logo that is emblematic of Eggslut and an open kitchen to bring the feel of LA right to Singapore. Inside the store, customers can enjoy the urban scenery of Orchard Road through the glass wall.
Eggslut Orchard Scotts Square branch uses eggs from cage-free grown chicken and brioche buns containing the baking technologies of SPC Samlip. The store offers all of the top menus of Eggslut including its signature, the ’Fairfax’ made with soft scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, and caramelized onions. It also sells premium menu, the ‘Gaucho’ boasting an explosion of tastes with wagyu steak and chimichurri sauce. In particular, the ‘Craft Soda,’ which is available only at Eggslut stores in Singapore, is a specially made beverage created by the local brewery ‘Brewlander’ and it comes in the two flavors of elderflower-lemon and grapefruit-ginger. The store also offers aromatic coffee made with the beans of Singaporean specialty coffee company, ‘Common Man Coffee Roasters.’
Starting with Eggslut Orchard Scotts Square, SPC Group has plans to actively expand the number of Eggslut stores not only in Singapore, but also in nearby Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia and Vietnam. There are high anticipations that the combination of Eggslut’s brand power and the global business knowhow of SPC Group will provide an impressive gastronomical experience to customers in Southeast Asia.
Paris Baguette Flagship Store Appears in Singapore
The Paris Baguette flagship store was also newly opened at Orchard Road, where the first Eggslut store was opened in Singapore. Paris Baguette ION Orchard branch that was opened on B1 of the famous ION Orchard Mall spans across a total floor space of 281㎡ and has 70 seats. The ceiling was designed to look like the sky and French-style furniture were arranged for the interior to give it a mood as if sitting in an outdoor terrace.
As it is a flagship store that represents the brand, this store provides products and services distinguished from other Paris Baguette stores. First, it will unveil three ‘Signature Breads’ made with ‘Sangmijong,’ a sourdough starter made by mixing native lactobacillus and native yeast developed by SPC Group. Paris Baguette ION Orchard branch offers ‘all-day dining’ with 22 different menus including brunch, vegetarian, and children’s menus. There are also unique menus like the beer cocktail made with teas from Teatra, a premium tea brand of the SPC Group. SPC Group plans to give the new tastes and service of Paris Baguette to local customers through the Paris Baguette ION Orchard branch as it strengthens its brand power in Southeast Asia.
Paris Baguette PLQ Mall Branch at the Eastern Downtown Area of Singapore
Paris Baguette PLQ Mall branch that opened in early August is located on the first floor PLQ outlet mall located in the center of the east urban district of Singapore and it has 80 seats. SPC Group has already opened over 10 Paris Baguette stores in Singapore providing high quality and delicious products to local customers. Despite COVID-19, this new store has been attracting more than 600 people a day on average immediately after opening, and has been posting more than double the mean revenue of other stores in Singapore. This owes to the fact that it has procured a large customer base as it is located in a commercial area with a high concentration of residential and office facilities. The store also has outstanding accessibility as it is located right next to the entrance connecting the MRT (subway) and shopping mall.
At the entrance of the PLQ is installed a panel display with information such as ‘freshly-baked bread’ and ‘menus just made in the kitchen’ for the Paris Baguette PLQ Mall branch. Thanks to this, customers can conveniently check the freshest items for purchase. The freshness of products was further emphasized by allowing customers to pick their own bread using a tray and tongs. The store interior emits a warm and comfortable ambiance by making full use of Paris Baguette’s brand colors, navy blue and gold. Based on the good performance of the PLQ Mall branch, SPC Group plans to open new stores in Singapore in the second half of this year to approach local customers with even better tasting products.
Seventh Shake Shack in Singapore Harmonized with Tropical Plants
SPC Group was recognized for its operational capacity for Shake Shack in Korea, and has thus been operating the Shake Shack business in Singapore in 2019. It recently opened Shake Shack Gardens by the Bay in front of the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay, which is the world’s largest botanical garden and one of the top tourist attractions of Singapore. This new market with a total floor space of 423㎡ and 128 seats is the seventh Shake Shack store opened in Singapore by SPC Group. As it is located at a must-visit tourist course of Marina Bay in Singapore, it is expected that there will be a heavy influx of customers.
Shake Shack by the Bay branch decorated the store with a variety of tropical plants that goes perfectly with its surroundings as it is located in a botanical garden. Plant pattern murals by a local artist named soph O were added to create a more brilliant and fresher mood. Furthermore, flowers and plants were harmoniously arranged through collaboration with horticultural experts of Gardens by the Bay to complete the planterior (plant + interior) to make visitors feel that they are inside a botanical garden.
There are also some new menus to commemorate the new opening of Shake Shack in Singapore. They include the ‘Roasted Garlic Mushroom Burger’ with a perfect balance of garlic and mushroom flavors, the crispy ‘Crinkle Cut Fries’, and concrete (iced dessert) products available only at the Gardens by the Bay store such as ‘Berries by the Bay’ and ‘Tropic Like It’s Hot.’ Parts of sales from ‘Shack Attack’ at the Gardens by the Bay store menu will be donated to the Singapore Environment Council, which is a non-profit environmental organization. This opportunity to enjoy the delicious foods of Shake Shack and also contribute to the environment has been quite popular among local customers. And in order to help keep all Shake Shack stores in Singapore safe and hygienic, the temperatures of all customers are checked at the entrance of the store and an auto handwash system was introduced to encourage proper handwashing. Delivery and to-go services were also reinforced so that customers can enjoy the delicious menus of Shake Stack from the comfort of their homes.
The global status of SPC Group is evident through the new stores being opened one after the other in Paris, France and Singapore. SPC Group plans to solidify its position as a global company by providing quality products and high levels of services to customers all around the world. In this day of age where normal life has become precious because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, SPC Group will present small joys in the everyday lives of the global community with new gastronomical experiences.