Korean bakery chain rivals Paris Baguette and Tous les Jours battle it out in China with “You who came from the stars" marketing.

Recently two biggest bakery chain brands in Korea, Paris Baguette and Tous les Jours are expanding fast and have been successful when entering overseas markets especially in China and other part of asia.

Paris Baguette is the top baking brand of Korea’s oldest food company, SPC Group.
The company currently has over 1500 stores throughout South Korea, the United States ( Los Angeles, New York), China (Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin).
Paris Baguette is a big name in China where the company operates 125 stores, the first of which opened in 2004.
Also Paris Baguette recently appointed Jeon Ji-hyun, the lead actress of mega hit drama  “You who came from the Star,” as the brand’s ambassador who has been appeared in TV and print advertisements from April 5.

The move comes after rival Tous Les Jours’ hit an unexpected jackpot in China where sales almost doubled over the past weeks thanks to the soaring popularity of its commercial model Kim Soo-hyun, the drama’s other star.

“In China, Paris Baguette used to be more widely known among customers due to its wide network of some 125 stores. But now customers are lining up in front of Tous Les Jours stores to get the leaflets with Kim Soo-hyun’s photos,” said an industry source.
Tous Les Jours with only 45 stores in China is focusing on its premium strategy.


But with Jeon Ji-Hyun, Paris Baguette seems to be have been given a good chance to reverse the trend, hinting at another round of competition between the two Korean rivals in the crucial Chinese bakery market.

In China, the demand for high-end caf and bakeries are surging along with the nation’s income levels, but China is a distinctive market where even renowned French bakeries like Paul and Fauchon have withdrawn business after failing to satisfy the local tastes, according to the company.

In the meantime, the two Korean brands, taking advantage of the emerging K-drama sensation in the country, started entering the market in the mid 2000s by developing bakery items specialized for the Chinese tastes.
Coupled with the Korean pop sensation in the regions, the company has been enjoying a sales boom recently.