Trend-Setting Bakery R Baker Launches New Franchise Support System

R Baker Co., Ltd. (Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, President: Mitsuhiko Hirotani), which operates the cafe bakery business within the Eat & Co. Group, has established a new support system for its franchise stores. The "R Baker Motoyawata store" will be renovated and reopened as a model store on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

The Current State of the Bakery Industry Currently, there are said to be approximately 10,000 bakeries nationwide in Japan, with over 80% of them being individually owned. In such stores, it is common for a small number of people to handle everything from product development to manufacturing and sales, leading to challenges such as early morning shifts and long working hours. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, structural issues such as soaring raw material costs, rising labor costs, and food loss have also brought significant changes to the entire industry. The market is characterized by rapid shifts in trends, such as high-end bread, maritozzo, croissants, and donuts, leading to the challenge of unstable profits due to the shortening of booms. With competition from convenience stores and mass retailers, the bakery industry as a whole is seeking a sustainable and developmental business model.

Remodeling of High-End Bread Specialty Stores R Baker's concept is "Delicious bread for mind and body," and it uses carefully selected domestic rice flour as its main ingredient to create bread characterized by a chewy and moist texture. In particular, its signature product, "Nobii-ru Croissant" (Stretchy Croissant), is highly popular, with its crispy croissant exterior and mochi-like stretchy interior, garnering 5 million views on social media and selling out 5,000 pieces daily. Furthermore, R Baker began a store development strategy in October 2024, signing franchise agreements with former high-end bread specialty stores and remodeling them into R Baker stores.

Challenges Revealed Towards Expansion The remodeling of high-end bread specialty stores was the construction of a new bakery model that seized the opportunity presented by the waning boom. In the remodeled stores, the variety of bread increased from just a few types of high-end bread, leading to an increase in the number of items purchased, higher average customer spending, and more customers and frequent visits. By utilizing frozen dough and frozen bread, the need for skilled bakers was eliminated, and in stores with bakers, they could focus solely on high-end bread production. However, when considering expansion beyond high-end bread specialty stores, new challenges became apparent. While high-end bread specialty stores could emphasize the quality of their bread as added value, it is difficult for community-based, individually owned bakeries to adopt a similar strategy, making differentiation from competitors, including convenience stores and mass retailers, a challenge. Recognizing that a system itself is necessary for individually owned bakeries, which constitute the majority of the industry, to generate sustainable profits, the FC加盟パッケージ "Mō Ichido, Kachi ni Iku Bakery" (The Bakery That Will Win Again) was born.

What is the FC Franchise Package "The Bakery That Will Win Again"? As a system that enables even small-scale bakeries to achieve sustainable growth, it focuses on balancing product and sales strategies that create differentiation through four pillars: "Freezing Technology," "Rule-Forming Strategy," "Killer Products," and "Creative Support." The most significant feature is "Freezing Technology" utilizing a central kitchen (CK). R Baker established its CK in March 2024. At that time, R Baker had 33 stores nationwide, and optimal bread, such as frozen dough, frozen bread, and frozen baked bread, was delivered primarily to the Kanto region, depending on the store's location, customer base, equipment, and the skill level of the bakers. Subsequently, with the expansion of the number of stores, the production capacity was doubled from the time of establishment, with the expansion of frozen warehouses and an increase in manufacturing machines. The CK handles bread production for approximately 20% of the stores. The "Rule-Forming Strategy" is an initiative to systematize pricing, product composition, and sales methods to ensure continuous selection. By building rules tailored to regional characteristics, it is possible to have two fixed holidays per week. Furthermore, "Killer Products" that are core to sales, such as the "Nobii-ru Croissant," will be expanded with derivative products in the future to create motives for continuous visits. "Creative Support" is based on proven results, ranging from event schedule design and sales methods to SNS design. We will strongly support the improvement of store attracting power by designing customer flow and optimizing creative content that leads to visits. The FC Franchise Package "The Bakery That Will Win Again" does not charge monthly royalties. Instead, R Baker functions as a manufacturer by shipping ingredients such as frozen dough and frozen bread to franchisees. This model is a groundbreaking initiative for owners to achieve sustainable management, as it reduces raw material costs, labor costs for hiring and training bakers, and alleviates the burden of fixed costs that are often a challenge in conventional franchise agreements. Based on the expertise cultivated so far, we will design products that are easy to purchase daily and generate profit, and build a system that can be deployed with high reproducibility in each store.

Test Verification Begins with a Model Store The "R Baker Motoyawata store" is the first remodeled high-end bread specialty store. This store will be renovated with a new name as a model store for the FC Franchise Package "The Bakery That Will Win Again." Popular staple bread, a wide variety of authentic pizzas that can be provided freshly baked at any time, will be set as special offers on specific days of the week. In addition, R Baker's popular product, "Nobii-ru Croissant," along with its derivative products, will have quantities and production schedules secured to be provided freshly baked every day. Regarding SNS, which has proven highly effective in attracting customers, individual store accounts will be created, and content will be prepared for local residents to enjoy as followers. The test verification period is currently being adjusted. As a bakery in a residential area, we aim to create a store that customers want to visit multiple times a week, and a highly profitable model store that is sustainable even with a two-day workweek. With the keyword "More bread, more smiles," R Baker will accelerate its franchise expansion using the FC Franchise Package "The Bakery That Will Win Again" and contribute to the development and revitalization of Japan's bakery industry.

Store Details New store name: "Motopan" supported by R Baker Location: 3-5-9 Minamiyawata, Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture Renewal opening date: Wednesday, April 1, 2026 Business hours: 11:00 - 19:00 Closed: Mondays, Sundays Store area: 7 tsubo (approx. 23.1 sqm)

About R Baker Under the concept of "Delicious bread for mind and body," R Baker makes bread with a focus on ingredients. In particular, it uses domestic rice flour as its main ingredient, not only for its health benefits but also from the perspective of improving food self-sufficiency. By blending rice flour with an original method, the bread is characterized by a chewy and moist texture. Furthermore, by using body-friendly ingredients, we strive to make bread that supports health from within. We hope that one piece of bread will weave a rich and fulfilling time for one person. With this wish, we face bread making every day. R Baker Official Website: https://r-baker.com/