Panera Bread is coming to Lakewood, in a way.
The fast-casual chain with 2,100 locations has merged with Einstein Bros. Bagels and Caribou Coffee to create Panera Brand, “a new powerhouse platform.”
Einstein Bros. has 1,005 locations, including one on Mockingbird at Abrams, and Caribou Coffee has 713. Luxembourg-based JAB Holding Co. owns all three brands.
The new Panera Brand will have close to 4,000 locations with about 110,000 employees in 10 countries, according to a media release.
The company hasn’t said what the merger will mean for the identities of individual stores, but the three brands will share supply chains, technology and loyalty programs, among other features of Panera’s “omni-channel retail network.”
The release states that “Panera Brands will be in a unique position to turbocharge the growth in Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels alongside Panera Bread.”
