KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 (Bernama) -- Paris Baguette Singapore, owned by South Korean food and beverage giant SPC Group, announced their first Paris Baguette Halal certified bakery manufacturing and distribution centre to be built in Johor, Malaysia.

Dubbed SPC Centre, Johor, the construction is set to begin in the third quarter of this year and will involve a total investment expected to exceed RM130 million. The facility is slated to be operational in June 2023. Johor-based SPC Centre will manufacture about 100 items such as bread, cakes, and desserts to supply to Paris Baguette outlets in Southeast Asia countries including Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia. The facility will also serve as a production and distribution hub to supply to future Halal markets such as the Middle East countries. Notably, the new facility is expected to create close to 100 new job opportunities.

SPC Group Chairman, Mr. Huh Young-in said, “The SPC Centre, Johor, will act as a cornerstone of our Southeast Asia business expansion and aid in the venture into the Middle East. SPC Group is looking forward in contributing to the huge global Halal food market potential of over USD2 trillion. The new Johor-based facility will span 16,500 square metre and will be located at Nusajaya Tech Park (NTP). NTP is a strategic location with seamless access to international airports and seaports in both Singapore and Malaysia that connects to all major cities in Asia supporting its business expansion into the Southeast Asia and Middle East region.

In addition to the strategic location and friendly business policies, Malaysia is also an ideal investment destination for us due to its Halal landscape. We will continue to invest aggressively to accelerate our global expansion.”

SPC Group also aims to build an additional global manufacturing and distribution centre in Malaysia that will expand and support the company’s production. The company will focus on the Muslim market, which accounts for 24% of the world's population or 1.9 billion people, through its Halal certification.

Malaysia had a head start in building a well-structured Halal regulation and ecosystem. The Federal Government’s Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) and Halal Development Corporation Berhad (HDC) lead this dynamic industry with a vast pool of knowledgeable talent and well-established infrastructure in applying the Halal Industry Master Plan 2030.

“As pioneers in the Halal industry, we have the responsibility to continue to lead and facilitate Halal-related industries. MIDA in its capacity has facilitated 15 food manufacturing projects amounting to RM1.5 billion with dedicated Halal incentives, utilising state-of-the-art machineries and processes, creating 1,749 food-tech job opportunities in ‘ready-to-eat’ (RTE) products, bakery products, frozen food products, confectionery products, instant noodles, snack foods and processed poultry products. To strengthen the Halal F&B manufacturing further, we are delighted to welcome the SPC Group through its subsidiary Paris Baguette Logistics Sdn. Bhd. into Malaysia. We hope to continue attracting high-value players like SPC Group who support our National Investment Aspirations (NIA) by injecting new knowledge, create new job opportunities for local talent and offer more collaborative options to local vendors,” shared Datuk Arham Abdul Rahman, Chief Executive Officer of Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA).

The brand founded in 1988 has been progressively and successfully growing its presence in Southeast Asia. Expansion to markets such as Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia. In addition, Paris Baguette is engaging with potential partners to expand Paris Baguette outlets in Malaysia. The brand is also set to open its 100th store in the United States with plans to open its first flagship store in Toronto, Canada this year. The franchise is also set to further expand in China and the United Kingdom.

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