Mudman, an authorised franchisee of Au Bon Pain bakery chain in Thailand, has welcomed the move by Panera Bread to acquire Boston-based Au Bon Pain, saying the deal is positive for Mudman Group.
Nadim Xavier Salhani, chief executive of Mudman Plc, said the company was just informed that Au Bon Pain in the US will come to Thailand on Nov 15 to talk about the business plan and further moves here.
"Thailand is Au Bon Pain's most success- ful market outside the US. We operate 73 Au Bon Pain stores here, almost half the US market," Mr Salhani said. "Panera Bread has strong expertise in this segment so the move should support Au Bon Pain in Thailand."
Mudman has operated Au Bon Pain in Thailand for two decades and recently got the rights to open Au Bon Pain in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) markets.
The company plans to open 5-6 Au Bon Pain branches in Thailand next year and 10 in the CLMV market over the next decade.
Panera Bread announced on Wednesday it would acquire Boston-based Au Bon Pain, a move that will reunite two bakery-cafes that share the same starter yeast, according to Bloomberg.
Panera, known for serving soups and sandwiches, purchased its quick-serve cousin for an undisclosed amount. Au Bon Pain has 304 units worldwide, most with smaller storefronts than the 2,050 sit-down restaurants Panera operates.
