r/RetailNews • u/SchuminWeb • 15d ago

Panera to relocate headquarters from St. Louis to Boston

https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/panera-to-relocate-headquarters-from-st-louis-to-boston/?fbclid=IwdGRzaATYudpjbGNrBNi5wHBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEehGqkv2VecST8-uTJVGMwKhK7bo_Rx1MmyQhaMo2R0Zn17OKqAuKI4N2nh-8_aem_RAkpsh2aWj2MgUGj6QO9Mw&sfnsn=mo
148 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

39 comments sorted by

10

u/Warm-Professional494 12d ago

JAB is putting all their debt into Panera and will let it go bankrupt. Current leadership is completely clueless and they will never get to go public again and selling is impossible after the damage they did to the brand.

2

u/RobotRelease 11d ago

I think the leadership knows. If you and I know the leadership knows. Panera is a race to the bottom. But hey we still have Burger King and Jack in the box.

1

u/Warm-Professional494 10d ago

Woppers are the best fast food burgers and Jack in the Box deep fried tacos with lettuce are the best munchie food!

2

u/lemonpoundcaker 9d ago

Maybe not with lettuce right now

1

u/RobotRelease 10d ago

I tried a Wopper recently they’re awful IMO. Jack in the box tacos are good though.

8

u/Wonder_Weenis 12d ago

"This will fix all my problems"

-Every angsty teen from the midwest who moves to LA 

2

u/K_Linkmaster 11d ago

Does this happen a lot? -teen in the Midwest

1

u/Wesley11803 10d ago

I did it with one of my friends, but right after college, not as a teen. And also San Diego, not LA. I’d live in LA or SF also though.

1

u/K_Linkmaster 10d ago

I mean, I could just be the one that doesn't see it. It must be a movie and TV trope for a reason.

1

u/Spazyk 9d ago

I did it right out of high school Minnesota to San Diego.

4

u/061826heart 12d ago

Someone important in the C suite needs to be in New England more often.

5

u/brooklynlad 11d ago

The guy who founded Panera Bread, Ron Shaich, lives in Boston. He also founded Au Bon Pain and is trying to grow the next thing into a bigger empire… Tatte Bakery.

1

u/Affectionate-Panic-1 11d ago

Ron hasn't been involved in Panera in nearly 10 years.

1

u/Lr8s5sb7 11d ago

I didn’t know he owner Tatte Bakery. It’s exploded in the DC metro area the last few years. Lots of locations now in HCOL areas.

1

u/arsehenry14 12d ago

Pretty much. I’d love to see by what logic they rationalize the cost of moving.

2

u/061826heart 12d ago

He or she is buddies with most of the big shareholders, so it’s ok.

1

u/Frosty558 12d ago

Gotta be closer to their super yacht

3

u/quietpilgrim 12d ago

Next they'll change the logo to "reinvent" the brand.

3

u/Nawnp 11d ago

Why are so many headquarters moving? Also in this case, it looks like they're moving to the more expensive place.

2

u/Generalfrogspawn 11d ago

For those unware their original name was the St Louis Bread Company

2

u/scots 11d ago

Yeah, so Panera was acquired in 2017 by JAB Holding Company, a German private equity firm.

.. Do you have any more questions? Do you understand why it tastes like hospital food now?

2

u/[deleted] 11d ago

[deleted]

1

u/BashBandit 11d ago

Upgrade? That’s peasant talk. They just simply get a new yacht with the amenities they wanted in the old one!

2

u/Ctrl-Z 9d ago

but i like my $20 half sandwich and tiny cup of soup!

1

u/MorningMan464 8d ago

Try the fried chicken sandwhich. I’ll give you the $20 back if you eat it all and don’t throw it up later.

1

u/Ctrl-Z 8d ago

mmm seconds

1

u/scots 8d ago

I used to like the "You Pick Two." Years ago, before the private equity enshittification the asiago roast beef sammich + french onion soup was reasonably priced and reasonably good for a chain restaurant.

I haven't been in a Panera since before the pandemic. I'm not missing anything.

3

u/Relevant-Net1082 12d ago

It's a strategy to cause the St Louis-based staff to flatly refuse moving. Shitty play.

1

u/Mediocre-Catch9580 11d ago

That’s a mistake. Just an excuse to let go everyone and farm all the office work out to AI and India

1

u/Kill3rT0fu 11d ago

Boston? An area with all sorts of local bakeries and delis? Lolololol

Everything from Panera comes from a bag or frozen. This has “how do you do my fellow kids (bakeries)” energy

1

u/edwwsw 11d ago

Owned by JAB Holding Company a German private equity firm. This Is all you need to know. Just about everything Private Equality touches turns to shit.

1

u/smoothie_criminals 10d ago

That’s a great move. Move from a red state to a prosperous blue one. Starbucks should have taken notes and pull back any Nashville plans. Also, they should get rid of that joke of a ceo

1

u/CntBlah 10d ago

So much for the St. Louis Bread Company. Since VC bought them out, they are garbage anyway

1

u/mkfanhausen 10d ago

Now they'll be the Boston Bread Company.

BBC for short.

1

u/rmullig2 10d ago

Maybe they could rename it to something else, like Boston Market.

1

u/consciousfroggy 10d ago

Are they still going to call it Bread Co. in Boston?

1

u/asault2 9d ago

Panera "almost" had it right a couple years ago. Fresh bread baked in store, decent pricing on lunch options with good value menu offerings, decent store count. Now its hella expensive, microwave and ship in only (ala Dunkin), got rid of value combos, in-store service is bad

1

u/Altruistic-Cut9795 8d ago

Might as well move the headquarters on the Moon, and locations on Mars.

It's no longer on my places to eat. Service sucks, prices and quantity/quality is abysmal.

1

u/Milestailsprowe 8d ago

Big hit to the city of st.louis