The chain of bakeries under the brand Paul has reached 10 units in Romania, with the recent opening of the new branch at Romana square in Bucharest and the soon-to-open store in the new shopping mall Promenada.

The new Paul bakery at Romana square covers 150 sqm, while the one to be opened on October 17 in Promenada covers 224 sqm, and includes an indoor and an outdoor terrace.

With these two openings, the chain reached its development target in Romania for this year, according to Monica Douglas, marketing manager of Paul in Romania.

The Paul network in the country is run by the company Moulin D'Or, which holds the franchise rights.

The company had a turnover of EUR 4.3 million in 2012, up EUR 1 million on the previous year. It posted a EUR 0.5 million profit both in 2011 and in 2012.

Moulin D'Or, with 126 employees, is part of a wider network which runs several other restaurant franchises, including Pizza Hut, KFC and Cinnabon, which appears to be owned by Romanian businessman Gabriel Popoviciu, who also owns Baneasa Shopping City, according to Romanian media.

The first Paul unit in Romania opened in 2008 and the chain became profitable in 2009.

editor@romania-insider.com