Groupe Le Duff, the French restaurant operator, has named a new leadership team to its recently created Le Duff America division.
Le Duff America, which manages the company’s North American brands — La Madeleine Country French Café, Bruegger’s Bagels, Timothy’s World Coffee and Brioche Doree — will be led by co-chief executives Jim Greco and Claude Bergeron, the company said in a statement.
Greco previously served as chief executive of Bruegger’s, and will oversee purchasing, franchising and real estate in his new position. Bergeron, who has been serving as chairman and chief executive of Groupe Le Duff’s American operations, will oversee operations product development, marketing, finance, IT, human resources and legal in his new role, the company said.
“The creation of this vibrant new organization will combine the deep expertise of Groupe Le Duff and these incredible brands, strengthening our leadership in North America’s bakery-café segment,” Bergeron said in a statement. “I’m pleased to have Jim Greco by my side as we take Le Duff America and its brands to the next level.”
“Through this strategic move, we can maximize synergistic opportunities and be better positioned for future growth,” Greco said in a statement. “We see the largest growth potential in franchising. We just launched La Madeleine’s franchise program, and we plan to franchise all of our brands across North America.”
Phil Costner, who was recently named president and chief operating officer of La Madeleine, will serve as Le Duff America’s chief brand strategy officer and remain in his current role at La Madeleine.
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Mike Clock, Harry Martin and Scott Berkman have also joined the Le Duff America executive team in the roles of chief financial officer, chief administrative officer and chief purchasing officer, respectively.
The company said Le Duff America “will serve as the umbrella organization and provide overall expertise and support in areas such as human resources, purchasing, finance, franchise development and real estate, allowing the bakery-cafés to focus on delivering an extraordinary experience for their guests.”
Groupe Le Duff is headquartered in Rennes, France, and operates more than 1,100 restaurants and bakery-cafés in more than 50 countries.
Contact Charlie Duerr at [email protected].
