South Korean confectionery company SPC Samlip said Monday it has signed an agreement with Siam Makro, an affiliate of Thailand’s largest conglomerate CP Group, to make a foray into the Thai bakery market. This is the first time that the Korean firm has teamed up with a local company for overseas operations. Under the agreement, the two companies will set up a joint venture for both production and distribution of bakery products in Thailand and push for other related projects together. Siam

This is the first installment of a series of interviews with global business chiefs of South Korean food companies that are expanding aggressively in overseas markets. -- Ed. Paris Baguette is a bakery as common in South Korea as Dunkin Donuts is in the United States. The nation’s No. 1 bakery chain, operated by food giant SPC Group, boasts a whopping 3,400 outlets nationwide, which means almost one in five bakeries in Korea is a Paris Baguette store. In recent years, Paris Baguette ha

South Korean food companies reported robust sales last year, but high raw material prices weighed down their profit growth. In 2022, Korean food companies Lotte Confectionery, SPC Samlip, Ottogi and Nongshim newly joined the short list of Korean food companies who posted annual sales of 3 trillion won ($2.3 billion) or more -- a feat achieved by only four Korean food companies so far. The top four food companies leading the country in terms of sales, which include CJ CheilJedang, Dongwon F&B

Korea’s leading bakery franchise Paris Baguette has launched its 100th franchise store in the US, stepping up its overseas business, its operator SPC Group said Monday. Reaching the milestone with the opening of "Paris Baguette Red Bank" in New Jersey, the company aims to introduce 1,000 stores across the US market by 2030. According to the food company, Paris Baguette plans to sign 160 additional franchise deals this year. Entering the US in 2005, Paris Baguette has worked on en

Food and bakery giant SPC Group said Thursday that it has opened the first Paris Baguette store in Malaysia on a 264-square-meter site at the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, the capital’s biggest shopping center in the heart of the major commercial district of Bukit Bintang. The latest store opening comes six months after a joint venture -- Berjaya Paris Baguette Sdn. Bhd. -- was launched in partnership with Berjaya Group, a Malaysia-based property developer. SPC is expanding its presence in the So

Most of Kim Sea-kyeong’s career as a chef was cooking American cuisine in the US, but one thing he dreamed of for a long time was reinterpreting Korean food -- what he calls his “soul food” -- the way he had mastered through Western recipes. “After working many years in the US with locals, I came to notice that what people aren’t familiar with is the way Korean food is enjoyed, such as side dishes, the experience can be made better through the concept of ‘bans

A promotional poster for Paris Baguette's Christmas seasonal cake "Snow Wishing Tree" is pictured. The coffeehouse-to-bakery chain, owned by SPC Group, has unveiled this year's Christmas cake lineup consisting of five tree-shaped cakes.

Prosecutors on Friday indicted Hur Young-in, the chair of the nation's largest bakery chain, SPC Group, on breach of trust charges for underselling stocks held by group affiliates in a suspected attempt to evade the gift tax. Hur was accused of selling stocks of Mildawon, a grain company wholly owned by his family, at 255 won ($0.19) per share in December 2012, far cheaper than the estimated 2011 price of 1,180 won or their 2008 acquisition price of 3,038 won. The chairman allegedly dumped

South Korean food and beverage giant SPC kicked off a new safety management committee on Monday as part of follow-up measures in response to the recent death of a young employee at its affiliated bread-making factory. According to the food giant, the new committee will supervise industrial safety, working conditions and social responsibilities across the facilities of all SPC subsidiaries, and alert the company of potential accidents. SPC said it will guarantee the committee’s autonomy, st

Popeyes, a US fried chicken fast food chain, said Wednesday it is returning to the South Korean market in the coming weeks after a nearly two-year hiatus. The chain had ceased operations here in December 2020, citing business difficulties and poor sales as key reasons. Popeyes is set to open its first new location near Gangnam Station in southern Seoul, with employee training starting on Monday. Meanwhile, South Korea's fast food market is experiencing a heated "burger race," as c

올해 5월 개장한 레고랜드코리아리조트(이하 ‘레고랜드’)의 모회사인 영국 멀린엔터테인먼트는 일각에서 제기되고 있는 레고랜드 부도설은 억측에 불과하고 앞으로 모든 신규투자는 본사에서 자체적으로 진행하겠다는 입장을 밝혔다. 6일 코리아헤럴드의 취재를 종합하면, 멀린은 레고랜드 사업을 맡고 있는 강원중도개발공사(GJC)가 특수목적회사(SPC) 아이원제일차를 통해 발행한 2천50억원 규모의 자산유동화기업어음(ABCP)이 최종 부도처리된 것은 맞지만, 레고랜드 운영에는 전혀 문제가 없다고 강조했다. 다만 채무보증을 선 강원도청을 상대로 ‘계약파기’로 소송을 진행할지 여부에 대해선 ‘기밀유지조항’을 근거로 즉답을 피했다. 또한 내년 1월부터 3월 23일까지 동절기 임시휴장과 관련해, 멀린은 “파크 전체 휴장은 실외 테마파크 특성상 주 이용객인 어린이들과 그 가족의 안전을 보장하고자 지난 55년간 지켜온 약속&rdqu

Bowed heads, a mumbled apology and camera flashlights. The public apology issued last week by the head of South Korean food and beverage giant SPC was any businessperson's worst nightmare. Chairman Hur Young-in of the food and bakery giant apologized for the death of a 23-year-old worker who was crushed by a sauce mixing machine at a factory affiliated with SPC during an overnight shift. The chairman does not just face public humiliation and a nationwide boycott of his company’s product

A wave of protests is raging over the death of a young worker at a bread-making factory run by an affiliate of South Korean bakery giant SPC Group, illustrating the public anger over the negligence and malpractice that were glaringly laid bare. The 23-year old employee was killed Oct. 15 after her upper body was caught in a sauce mixer at the factory of SPL in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. SPL is owned by Paris Croissant, a firm wholly owned by SPC Group Chairman Heo Young-in and his family. He

A worker was injured at one of South Korean bakery giant SPC Group’s bread-making factories on Sunday, just two days after its chief extended a public apology in response to a deadly accident in another factory run by the bakery group. A factory worker in his 40s lost a finger when trying to sort out defective products from a conveyer belt at a Shany bread-making factory operated by SPC Group in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, at around 6:10 a.m., police said. Two more workers were reportedly

Heo Young-in, CEO of South Korean bakery giant SPC Group, bowed deep in apology Friday over a young factory worker killed in an accident at one of the company's bread-making factories last week. “I feel strongly responsible for this accident and accept criticism from the public without any excuses. I also send my deepest apology for not caring for the grief and shock of the employees who worked with the deceased,” Heo said during a press conference. As part of prevention measures, He