Bakers Delight sees North American store footprint “being similar to Australia's”
The family-owned business currently boasts 650 stores worldwide.
North America may play a bigger role in widening Bakers Delight’s global store footprint, according to one of its joint chief executive officers.
“We have an impressive footprint of bakeries in Australia, and we hope to be able to replicate that in the US and Canadian markets. We are working towards our American footprint being similar to Australia, which could see us having more than 1,000 stores,” joint CEO David Christie said in a statement.
The family-owned business, founded in 1980 Lesley and Roger Gillespie, currently has 650 stores worldwide, spanning Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, with over 500 franchise partners. It directly employs almost 400 people with a further 8,000 to 9,000 bakers and sales staff.
“For 40 years, we’ve worked hard at establishing a reputation that we’re incredibly proud of. We started as a small family business, and while our presence has continued to grow throughout Australia and beyond, our core values and community-focus still rings true today,” joint CEO Elise Gillespie added.
The company said it has been a “significant contributor to Australia’s franchising sector and the wider economy”, paying approximately $250 million in wages annually and generating more than $250 million in business expenditure for their network of suppliers.
Christie and Gillespie, who took over the business since 2017, previously revealed to QSR Media that the chain is making a sizable investment in their digital capabilities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The chain will also be running a 40th birthday campaign in its Australian stores, giving out 40,000 of their Cheesymite scrolls on 29 September.
Photo credit: Bakers Delight Facebook
