Melbourne-based Laurent Bakery Group has announced BGH Capital has sold its stake in the business to French bakery giant Bridor.

The move is estimated to place the company’s value at around$650 million.

According to the Australian Financial Review, Bridor agreed on the terms to purchase Laurent Bakery in December 2024, with the transaction being completed in early March 2025.

BGH Capital bought the controlling stake in Laurent Bakery in 2021 for an undisclosed amount.

The first Laurent Bakery was opened in South Yarra in the 1993 by French-born baker Laurent Boillon, going on to become a Melbourne institution. The bakery now offers French-inspired cakes, bread and pastries at 15 stores across the city in addition to supplying more than 1000 supermarkets with artisan breads in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

“When I first came to Australia I was struck by the openness of the space, the clean air and thought almost immediately, this was a great place to make good food,” Laurent said previously.

“Baking was my craft and my love, but it was clear Australians back then, really had no idea of traditional high-quality French baking. Still I was confident that they would really embrace this, once they had a chance to experience it and many had already done that on trips to France.”

Bridor is owned by Group LeDuff, a French restaurant conglomerate with more than 1310 bakeries and restaurants in Europe and the Americas.