|
Feature Article, June 2005
Baking Up An Expansion
Florida kicks off French café expansion in the U.S.
 |
An exterior location of PAUL Maison de Qualité.
|
|
France's leading bread maker has decided it's time to make an entrance into the U.S. PAUL Maison de Qualité, a 100-year-old bakery and café sprinkled throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia, has opened its first American location in North Miami Beach at the new Biscayne Commons shopping center. The company's business plan calls for 100 bakery/cafés in the Southeast over the next 5 years, including 30 in Florida, where the expansion will begin. “We started in Florida because it's one of the fastest growing U.S. markets,” says Luc Bansay, vice president of PAUL USA.
“And, of course, the cosmopolitan nature and the population of Miami and Florida in general attracted us to the area,” adds company CEO Vladimir Alfa. “And we have been proven right by the open-arm welcome that we've received from the people here.”
 |
PAUL Maison de Qualité's first U.S. location in South Florida.
|
|
PAUL has 270 shops in France, as well as locations in the United Kingdom, Turkey, Spain, the Netherlands, Japan, Morocco, Lebanon, Kuwait and Dubai. With its U.S. rollout, the company is aiming for a variety of locations, including regional malls, lifestyle centers and strip malls, as well as kiosks in convention centers, airports and universities. “Our format is much more flexible than other chains where you have one format and you try to stick to that format plus or minus 15 or 20 percent of the square footage,” notes Alfa. “Due to the three different format boxes that we have — master stores, satellite stores and kiosks, we can go into any format development that's out there, and that's exactly our growth plan.”
 |
PAUL Masion de Qualité offers a good selection of European breads and pastries.
|
|
Until the end of 2000, the PAUL brand expanded exclusively with new stores in France. Since January 2001, franchises operated through Hold & Co (a joint venture with Elior/Cogexco) have played a major role in the brand's development. In August 2003, the company welcomed outside partners/investors. In partnership with Hold & Co, PAUL has opened new outlets at concessions in train stations, airports, exhibition centers and highway rest areas. The agreement enables PAUL's parent company, Groupe HOLDER, to pursue its expansion through franchises in new markets. In addition to its traditional bakery shops, PAUL introduced a new concept in 1993 known as “PAUL Villages.” The villages are local shopping centers built around a PAUL bakery and five or six other shops (dry cleaning, bank, florist, hairdresser, food store, restaurant, etc.). The centers offer easy parking and architecture inspired by the local style. Based on the U.S. “convenience store” model, the concept has already proved popular in communities throughout France.
 |
The exterior of one of the company's European units.
|
|
The PAUL café serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with standard café selections, such as eggs benedict, freshly made soups and salads, quiches and sandwiches. Also offered is a list of wines and champagnes by the glass or bottle as well as a selection of domestic and imported beers. PAUL also serves a wide variety of original, quality breads using a traditional bread-making method handed down through four generations and a special water filtration system. The process takes almost seven hours for most breads, allowing the necessary fermentation time to ensure the dough develops its rich taste and can be naturally preserved, without additives or preservatives. Reminiscent of classic cafés in Europe, PAUL cafés are referred to as “rustic-chic” with an elegant décor featuring antique chairs and tables imported from France; an open kitchen that provides a full view of the bakers at work; and counters lined with breads, pastries, hard-to-find specialty products and more than 140 varieties of all-natural, rustic and artisanal breads as well as desserts. For shops located in historical districts, great care is taken to ensure that the interior and exterior design mesh with the particular location.
 |
Fresh bread and pastry is a trademark of the company.
|
|
So what will America have to say about the new bakery and café? Most likely, they'll enjoy the all-day accessibility, says Alfa.
“We attract people throughout the day; they don't just come to us for breakfast or for lunch. Our menu is geared to all different times of the day, as well as for the chill-out periods between breakfast and lunch, and lunch and dinner. People can come and lounge with a pastry and coffee or tea, or just come in to get bread or pastries to take home for a party.”
The stores are original and homey, adds Bansay.
“For under $10, you get a trip to Paris with a unique atmosphere,” he says.
— Susan H. Fishman
©2005 France Publications, Inc. Duplication or reproduction of this article not permitted without authorization from France Publications, Inc. For information on reprints of this article contact Barbara Sherer at (630) 554-6054.
|
