People buy bakery products at Tous Les Jours' 100th store in the United States in Bronxville, New York, on its opening day on Aug. 17. Courtesy of CJ Foodville



By Kim Jae-heun



Tous Les Jours, a bakery franchise operated by CJ Foodville, has opened its 100th store in the United States as Korean-style bread products gains popularity among American consumers, the company said Monday.



Bronxville, where the new branch is located, is well known as a high-income neighborhood in New York. It is meaningful as it is the fifth store that the franchisee has opened in the U.S. The company said Tous Les Jours is now recognized as a solid business model due to its high profitability per store.



"Tous Les Jours' business on the global stage is booming, as we have witnessed the opening of the 100th store in the United States. We are also planning to build a production line in the U.S. in the second half of this year in line with our efforts to promote the Korean bakery worldwide," a CJ Foodville official said.



The bakery chain's business in the U.S. has been rapidly growing over the past five years. On average, the number of Tous Les Jours stores opening has increased from five to six in 2020 to 10, after that, on an annual basis. The proportion of stores owned by local franchisees accounts for 90 percent in total and nearly half of them run more than two. They have all seen their daily sales jump about 20 percent, year-on-year, since last year.



Thanks to its flourishing business in the U.S., CJ Foodville has been increasing its surplus for five consecutive years there since it became the company's only overseas corporation to achieve a turnaround in 2018. CJ Foodville USA's sales and operating profit also soared 50 percent and 250 percent, respectively, in the first half of this year.



CJ Foodville first entered the U.S. market in 2004 and it now operates Tous Les Jours stores in 24 states with stores in major U.S. cities like Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

