Lina's in France / Courtesy of SPC Group

Korean food and beverage giant SPC Group said Tuesday it has acquired French restaurant chain Lina's to ramp up its global business.

SPC Group, operator of bakery chain Paris Baguette, said its European holding company SPC Euro bought a 100 percent stake in Lina's Developpement, the owner and operator of the restaurant chain that offers sandwiches, salads and specialty coffees.

Lina's, founded in 1989 in Paris, operates in three countries: Korea, Columbia and Lebanon.

SPC has been running the Korean operations since 2002.

Based on the expected synergy the acquisition is expected to create, SPC said it would expand its presence in the European market and enter the North American and Southeast Asian markets.

The company also said it will capitalize on Lina's expertise and know-how to further develop new bread and salad items, and introduce them in its popular bakery chain Paris Baguette worldwide.

SPC Group has been pushing to beef up its global business.

It operates approximately 430 Paris Baguette stores in seven countries, including the United States, China, France and several Asian countries.

Last month, it opened three additional Paris Baguette stores in Indonesia, bringing the total to seven in the country, which it entered in 2021.

SPC also operates premium burger chain Shake Shack in Korea, Singapore and Malaysia.

The company said it would continue making aggressive investments, targeting more acquisitions going forward. (Yonhap)