Sweeter the second time around: Ladurée’s Manila comeback
Karan Gopwani was still in college in Boston, Massachusetts, when Ladurée opened its first retail store in Manila in 2015. He never got to see it.
In May 2025, Gopwani, 31, is bringing back the Ladurée brand to the country, via its first flagship store in Southeast Asia, through his company, Gastronova Hospitality Group. He has been a “fan” of Ladurée since his student days, and this venture is the fulfillment of his dream to bring the brand to Manila, he tells Lifestyle in an exclusive interview.
The Parisian patisserie, under this new franchise agreement, will not only be a retail store, but a 220-square meter space in Bonifacio Global City that will have a fine dining café and a luxurious salon de thé, akin to the very Instagrammable Ladurée flagship locations in Paris’ Champs-Élysées and Dubai.
This is Gopwani’s first venture in food and beverage, and his first as Gastronova’s chief executive, thus his gung ho attitude—only tempered, it seems, by his family’s “cautious optimism”—as he strikes out on his own.
Gopwani comes from the family that owns the House of Branded Lifestyle Inc., possibly the largest distributor of international optical brands in the Philippines, which also runs the Vision Express chain and the more upscale Eye Society. Before founding Gastronova, he was working with his older sister, Neelam Gopwani Chainani, 33, in running the family’s businesses.
“There was a lot of pushback from family,” the young CEO tells us. Friends also cautioned him about Ladurée’s short-lived foray here. In justifying his move, he explained that when Ladurée first opened here, under a different ownership, “The Philippines was not ready for Ladurée. Ladurée came to the Philippines when luxury was at its birth. Luxury in the Philippines only hit its elevation point when the LVMH Group came to the Philippines direct. Prior, luxury was on a very small scale.”
He adds, “The spending power today versus in 2015 is very different … Now we have a different level of luxury in the country, to the point where luxury retail has expanded all the way to Cebu,” citing the opening of global luxury brands in The Mall at Nustar in Cebu City.
Rebirth
With the new mall developments, Gopwani has found believers in the likes of Mariana Zobel de Ayala, whose One Bonifacio Mall in BGC will be home to the Ladurée flagship, and SM Supermalls’ Steven Tan; the second Ladurée will open in SM Mall of Asia in the last quarter of 2025. He refers to both Zobel and Tan as mentors to him and his sister, being the next generation of retailers.
“Neelam and I connect with Steven and Mariana very well because they understand our passion, they understand that the market is evolving, and they understand that it is now time to bring brands that could make a large impact on the Philippines.”
Ladurée, the company itself, has undergone a rebirth of sorts in recent years in the aftermath of the pandemic. In early 2022, a new owner, the Lov Group led by Stéphane Courbit, acquired an 80 percent stake from the previous owner, the Holder group, which also owns France’s Paul bakery chain. It was with the new Ladurée managing director, Mélanie Carron, that Gopwani made his case to bring back the brand to Manila. David Holder, however, remains the president and face of Ladurée.
Under this new leadership, Ladurée, founded in 1862, is broadening its scope as it expands overseas, and that’s what Filipinos will see when it opens here next year—“the world of Ladurée in 220 sqm,” as Gopwani puts it.
Gourmet creations
The fine dining salon will serve breakfast, lunch, Parisian high tea, and dinner, operating from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, says Gopwani. “We want to make high tea fun for women, even for Gen Zs.”
Ladurée, he points out, is geared heavily toward the female market. “When the men come, they buy for the women.”
(Lifestyle reported similar plans for a tea salon from Ladurée’s previous franchise owner, H&F Retail Concepts, in 2015, though those never prospered.)
Approximately 50 percent of SKUs (stock keeping units) will be flown in from Switzerland, including the famed macaron and other delicatessen and gifting items. Apart from savories, they’ll be serving here Ladurée’s gelato and other gourmet patisserie creations.
They will also have B2B channels at select luxury resorts and, later, with airlines, Gopwani adds.
The flagship’s Filipino manager, who had previously worked at the French capital, is now being trained in Paris, in keeping with the brand’s haute standards. (Hiring is ongoing, according to Gopwani.)
He’s counting on the Filipinos’ sweet tooth—and willingness to spend good money on experiences—to guarantee the long-term success of Ladurée this time around. “The Filipino consumer only requires good quality, good service, and they will pay the price. As long as you give them these attributes, you’re on the right track,” Gopwani notes. “Now it has to be the consistency that needs to be there.”
Diners can expect to spend, per person, from P1,750 for breakfast, and from P2,500 to P10,000 for the high tea sets.
To underscore what he perceives to be the excitement of the market, Gopwani cites the growth of Ladurée Philippines’ following on Instagram (@ladureephilippines) since they created the account in April. They have already been receiving many inquiries for private events, he adds, so he encourages pre-booking beginning February, especially for the high tea.
“I’m bullish on the Philippine economy,” says Gopwani, who’s bringing in three other luxury F&B concepts. The reentry of Ladurée, he adds, will only raise the bar for global food standards in the Philippines.
