Paris Baguette could put first North American food plant in small city outside Fort Worth

 

The plant would invest $167M in the area and create hundreds of new jobs.

BURLESON, Texas — This article was originally published by our content partners at the Dallas Business Journal. You can read the original article here

A French-inspired bakery and cafe chain with South Korean roots, Paris Baguette, is considering putting a $167 million food manufacturing plant in Burleson, about 15 miles south of Fort Worth.

Paris Baguette USA Inc. is under contract to purchase 30 acres in Highpoint Business Park on Vantage Drive, north of FM 917, and could build a 267,000-square-foot facility across two phases.

It would be the company’s first such plant in North America, Burleson Economic Development Director Alex Philips said at a Dec. 9 city council meeting. The new factory could support 450 jobs within a decade with an average annual wage of $49,780, according to a city council memo.

Paris Baguette did not respond to a request for comment. The economic development project has been referred to as “Project Dough” by the city.

To attract the company to the area, the city and its economic development corporation and the county could extend more than $9 million in incentives.

Burleson City Council on Dec. 9 unanimously approved a tax abatement agreement with the company that would provide a 50% tax rebate for 10 years, worth about $3.5 million. The Burleson Economic Development Corp. is offering the company $4.15 million in incentives.

To receive the tax abatement, Paris Baguette would have to close on the property by Jan. 31, submit building plans for the first phase by June and start construction in August. The company would have to complete a 150,000-square-foot first phase and invest $110 million into the property by the end of 2027, and complete a 117,000-square-foot, $55 million second phase by the end of 2029.Paris Baguette would have to employ 125 full-time employees by the first anniversary of its opening and 450 employees after 10 years.

The company would have to pay back incentives if it doesn’t meet the terms of the performance agreement. It would take the city about seven years to break even on the investment, according to the presentation.

Johnson County commissioners are expected to vote in January on a 10-year abatement that could be worth a little more than $2 million to the company.

Paris Baguette is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, and its U.S. subsidiary, Paris Baguette USA, is based in New Jersey. The company has more than 4,000 retail locations worldwide, including about 200 in North America. It’s been referred to as a “sensation” as it attracts long lines with its bread, pastries and other goods that are baked daily.

Paris Baguette has been growing rapidly in the U.S. in recent years, including through franchising — it aims to add 1,000 stores in the country by 2030, according to the city presentation.

“They’re moving pretty quick on the new locations,” Phillips said. 

Highpoint Business Park is a 230-acre industrial park near I-35 West. Some of its biggest tenants include Golden State Foods, Core X Premier Cold Storage and Arcadia Cold Storage, according to Burleson’s economic development website.