‘Allo ‘Allo - British foods back in Paris!

First Thomas Green’s grocery franchise  opens in French Capital

A brand new Franchise opened in Paris this week making a welcome return for British foods, as the Thomas Green’s shop launched in the 15th Arrondissment within sight of the Eiffel Tower.  This is the second franchise of the Group to open so far this year. 

This newest franchise fills the void left by M&S 6 years ago and has a whole host of favourite brands available in the shop, located in the heart of the city.  

Favourite British tea time treats, marmalades and jams, marmite, sausages, bacon, Weight Watchers products, Walker’s crisps, cheddar cheese, breads and snacks are all stocked, exciting expat and Parisian palates alike.  And the good news doesn’t stop there – all these British goodies can be ordered online and delivered to any of the City’s 2.5 million residents - with a unique and unbeatable one-price delivery service.  Any delivery in the Ile de France will cost only €5 – the best value ever! 

Thomas Green’s will also stock some local fresh produce.  And for the opening a special supply of clotted cream, scones and strawberry jam has been flown in.

The new shop is in Rue Dutot and was officially opened by the British Consul General, Jeffrey Thomas, who said: “The availability of quality products which are household names in our own country will be much appreciated not only by the expatriate communities of Paris and its suburbs, but also I hope by French customers who will be able to savour the best of British food. I congratulate the management team that had the vision to make this investment, and I wish the Thomas Green Group under its Managing Director Philip Evans, and the two associates who opened the Paris shop, Paschal Cummins and Pat Cully, the very best of success.” 

The “Best of British” business was set up to cater for this ever expanding British ex-pat community, particularly as both Philip and his team have considerable experience in FMCG and franchising, and identified this as a real business opportunity. 

The shop is run by Paschal Cummins, previously the successful manager of the Irish pub in St Germain en Laye, and Pat Cully who has already been involved in the food business in the French capital. Paschal Cummins joint manager of the brand new Thomas Green’s said: “For just 5 euros we can deliver anything ordered over the internet, directly to homes, virtually anywhere in Paris and the surrounding suburbs.  We are the only British shop who can offer this fantastic service.  Our shoppers who want to avoid the frenzied Paris traffic and problematic parking can have their favourite foods brought to their door, courtesy of Thomas Green’s delivery service”

Philip Evans Managing Director, The Thomas Green’s Group, the grocery franchising company says: “This is great news for the shoppers of Paris who can now buy a real variety of British goods and enjoy a cheap home delivery service as well.  The use of the internet for customers’ orders will be critical for the future of our own network and we believe that the Paris service at this unique and very competitive price is the catalyst for making that a reality.” 

The Thomas Green’s Group’s unique operation franchises 11 small grocery businesses in Europe, most of which are run by British expats, and plans to open more during this year.   There are now shops in the Netherlands, Spain including Ibiza, Portugal and Lille, the first one to open in France.  The Group realised that no-one was supplying a choice of good British food to European shops, and this successful formula has already hit sales of over €3M in just two years.    

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About Thomas Green's:

Founded in 2004, Thomas Green Limited works in partnership with Nisa-Today's and its export partner Nisa International.

Nisa-Today's is the UK's largest distribution and services organization for independent retail and wholesale companies. The buying group comprises 600 Nisa retail members operating over 5,000 stores and 350 Today's wholesale companies with 400 depots, making it possibly Europe's biggest independent buying group. Nisa-Today's is a £1bn distribution company with a £5.1bn wholesale buying group.

Nisa International is the UK's premier wholesale exporter of grocery products to over 90 countries worldwide and a 2004 winner of the Queen's Awards for Enterprise in International Trade.

With access to Nisa-Today's product range and Nisa International's global distribution network, Thomas Green's is able to supply its overseas shops with over 12,000 ambient, chilled and frozen food products; the lines typically sold in all major UK supermarkets, as well as premium food lines. In addition, Thomas Green's supplies many non food items including magazines, books, stationery and seasonal products to its franchisees.

Thomas Green's helps franchisees develop their stores, with full retail branding, product selection, bespoke epos systems, optimal store layout plans and marketing advice. A fully transactional website is available to franchise stores and can be used to develop a local delivery service.

Contact information:

Philip Evans, Managing Director +44 (0)1765 609337

enquiries@thomasgreen.com or www.thomasgreen.com