Though it was an eventful year, the end of 2021 is fast approaching. How have you been? Over the past year, SPC Group has done its best to bring back the smiles of those who are suffering from COVID-19. Although the world is engulfed in the pandemic, we have achieved remarkable performances, such as actively preparing to promote abroad. Today, we would like to take a moment to look back on SPC Group’s highlights of 2021. Click on each title in the image below to take a closer look at SPC Group’s major news in 2021!
Click the titles to check the details.
SPC Group Reaches Out to the World
SPC Group has further strengthened its position as a global food company by accelerating overseas expansion this year. Paris Baguette opened new stores one after another in Paris in France, known for its baking tradition, Singapore (four stores), Phnom Penh in Cambodia, Jakarta in Indonesia, Shenyang in China, and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. In particular, in Indonesia, we established a joint venture with the local company, Erajaya Group. With this opportunity, we plan to advance into the Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern markets.
SPC Group also owns the operation rights for Shake Shack and Eggslut in Singapore. In September of this year, we opened the first Eggslut store in Orchard, the cultural center of Singapore, beginning our full-fledged business in the country. Three new Shake Shack stores have also opened near Singapore’s landmarks and have become very popular among the locals. Meanwhile, in April, we met with the Malaysian Senior Minister and the Minister of International Trade and Industry to discuss SPC Group’s investment plans in our local business. Please look forward to more and more achievements around the world!
Check out SPC Group’s new overseas stores!
The Official Launching of Secta9ine, a Marketing Solution Affiliate
Earlier this year, SPC Group officially launched Secta9ine, an affiliate specializing in total marketing solutions to provide customers with better service and a convenient lifestyle. Secta9ine is a digital marketing company created by SPC Group’s accumulated platform business technology, marketing capabilities, and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) business infrastructure. Under the vision to become a“Smart Life Technology Company,” it is leading the group’s overall digital platform business. This year alone, Secta9ine has showcased Happy Pay, a simple online payment service, TMAP Pickup, which allows you to conveniently pick up orders from the navigation app, and Happy Butler that services grocery shopping and SPC group product orders at once. Secta9ine plans to provide customers with more helpful and new experiences by continuously introducing various digital services.
What is Secta9ine’s management vision?
Let’s save local farmers! Happy Mutual Growth Project
With the prolonged impact of COVID-19, Korea’s farms have suffered serious damages, such as losing sales channels due to local festivals being canceled. In response, the SPC Group started to help farmers this year through the “Happy Mutual Growth Project,” purchasing local agricultural products and using them to introduce new products. In March, Nonsan strawberries were used to showcase new products at Paris Baguette and Pig in the Garden. In June, we launched four types of onion bread made with Muan Onion at Paris Baguette. We also delivered 100,000 pieces of onion bread to the underprivileged and COVID-19 disease control volunteers. In September, ahead of Chuseok, we presented the Paris Baguette Chuseok gift set made with Punggi ginseng. Paris Baguette donated the Happy Mutual Growth products to COVID-19 medical staff and the elderly living alone in commemoration of its 35th anniversary in October this year. The Happy Mutual Growth Project to expand the sales channels of local farmers and stimulate consumption of agricultural products is expected to continue next year. We ask for your interest and support for SPC Group’s delicious support.
Full-fledged ESG Management to Fulfill Social Responsibility
ESG management, which promotes sustainable development throughout the environment, social, and governance, aligns with the values that SPC Group pursues. This year, each affiliate of the SPC Group launched full-scale ESG management by establishing a dedicated ESG department. SPC Samlip has formed an ESG Committee under the Board of Directors and announced its commitment to the “Good For All” initiative focusing on four major categories: environment, health, society, and trust. Under the slogan, “Happy With Us, BR Korea,” BR Korea established an ESG promotion team to implement detailed tasks in four areas of environment, society, governance, and customer service.
SPC Pack, a subsidiary specializing in packaging materials, has signed an MOU with material companies and is in the process of jointly developing eco-friendly packaging materials. We plan to introduce eco-friendly packaging materials to SPC Group’s franchises such as Paris Baguette, Baskin Robbins, and Pascucci through this effort. SPC Group is also proactively working on discovering sustainable foods such as plant-based alternatives that are environmentally friendly. In September, we introduced products made of JUST Egg™, a plant-based alternative egg product, through Paris Baguette, Paris Croissant, and Passion5. Moreover, to kick off its sustainable food business, SPC Samlip signed a business agreement with SK Inc. The two companies plan to collaborate strategically in various fields such as plant-based alternative foods, fermented foods, and food tech that are beneficial to the environment and health.
As a part of ESG management, we also made efforts to engage in corporate social responsibility. In the past year, SPC Group spent about 3.1 billion won (estimated at the end of 2021) for various donations, social contribution projects, and food bank support. A total of 2,000 employees participated in volunteer activities, serving11,667 hours throughout the year. SPC Group expanded non-face-to-face and online social contribution projects in consideration of COVID-19, including the online goods drive for employees, the opening of online Happy Bakery & Cafe stores, and non-face-to-face volunteer activities. In addition, we created quality jobs for the disabled and the underprivileged by consulting bakery factories for the disabled, supplying Samlip dough, opening self-supporting Paris Baguette stores for the low-income class, and launching new Happy Bakery & Cafe stores. We supported over 20,000 products to special contributors from Afghanistan, and set up the SPC Happy Mutual Growth Scholarship to sponsor 30 million won in scholarship to help nurture talents in regions that have signed Happy Mutual Growth agreements with us. SPC Group will continue our CSR activities to create a happy world where everyone can live together harmoniously.
Take a closer look at the achievements of SPC Group’s ESG management.
2021 Business Keyword: “Quality first management”
Since selecting our business keywords for 2021 as “quality-first management,” “responsible management,” and “change and innovation,” the SPC Group has had a busy year putting them into practice. In particular, “quality-first management” is a task that all organizations under SPC Group have sought proactively through the Q21 Campaign to achieve the highest level of taste and quality, which are the root of our competitiveness. Paris Croissant, which operates Paris Baguette and Pascucci, began thorough quality management by setting performance indicators such as raw material verification, prohibition of stocking non-compliant products, compliance with process, and rate of legal violations. We also carried out rigorous efforts for quality improvement, such as conducting joint sensory evaluations by relevant departments.
Under the slogan, “Q21 Samlip, Bringing Health to Taste,” centering around the Q21 Secretariat in charge of quality management, all employees of SPC Samlip worked together to manage and improve quality. To substantively improve quality, SPC Samlip conducted on-site taste quality evaluation every day and evaluated key management qualities every quarter. As a result, in the first half of this year, we reduced the complaint rate by 32% compared to the previous year. BR Korea has been working on systematic quality management with the Quality Management Office at the helm. At Baskin Robbins and Dunkin’, each installed a Quality Assurance (QA) team that integrates the management of quality and food safety from the production stage. They hold monthly quality management meetings to check key quality management indicators and discuss directions for improvement. In addition to these efforts, all affiliates of the SPC Group have been practicing quality management. We will continue to listen to customers and do our best to provide better taste, safe and hygienic products, and impressive services.
On the other hand, in April, the SPC Group has developed registered the patent for the native yeast (SPC-SNU 70-1) and lactic acid bacteria in four countries: the United States, China, France, and Japan. Our endless challenges and innovation for better quality have come to fruition. The native yeast, which SPC Group succeeded in developing originally in 2015, was found in traditional Korean foods such as malt and kimchi after research teams at SPC Research Institute of Food and Bio Technology and Seoul National University analyzed over 10,000 native microorganisms for 11 years. Earlier, SPC Group had developed and commercialized a bread starter called Sangmi by combining native yeast and lactic acid bacteria. Building upon our patent registrations in four overseas countries, the SPC Group will continue to accumulate competitiveness in the global market through developing proprietary food technologies.
The Story of SPC Group’s Quality Management
New Products and Brands in 2021
This year, SPC Group introduced numerous new products and brands and presented customers with a variety of happiness. Paris Baguette and SPC Samlip selected “the emperor of volleyball” Kim Yeon-Koung as the promotional model to promote “Native Yeast Bread” and launched a new product named after her nickname, “Bread Sister.” Also, Samlip Hoppang chose Yoo Jae-seok as its promotional model and introduced “Rosé Hoppan” and “Mint Choco Hoppang,” which were beloved by consumers. Customers also raved about our assorted merchandise marketing that accommodated their preferences. For instance, Paris Baguette released camping gear four times in collaboration with the outdoor brand Nordisk, while Baskin Robbins worked with Wiggle Wiggle, a lifestyle brand, to offer picnic mats and large clear umbrellas.
This year, the SPC Group exclusively launched Chobani, the No. 1 Greek yogurt brand in the United States, in Korea. Chobani, which sources all the milk used in its products from ranches that practice animal welfare, is one of the most globally popular sustainable food brands. We also opened new brand stores throughout the year. Eggslut, a brand that provides delicious and healthy burgers using cruelty-free eggs, opened three new stores this year in Yeouido, Gangnam, and Hannam. Shake Shack, a fine casual restaurant from New York, added a total of six stores, including the 20th store in Cheonan, which opened on December 13th. We will continue to deliver each brand’s excellent flavors and services to more regions.
These are the major highlights for the SPC Group in 2021. During this memorable year, we did our best to bring laughter and happiness to our customers. To reciprocate our customers for their continued love and interest, SPC Group will continue to provide superior products and services in 2022.
