From The Straits Times    |

Fans of famed 151-year-old French patisserie Ladurée and its dainty macarons, do not fret as the brand’s signature tearoom is likely to open here within the next year or two.

This tearoom will add to the new chic retail boutique on the second floor and macaron takeaway counter on the first floor (in between Chanel and Louis Vuitton boutiques) of Ngee Ann City.


The macaron counter at the Ladurée boutique in Singapore. ALL PHOTOS: ST.com

The brand’s entry here is a partnership with luxury watch retailer The Hour Glass.

Besides having no tea salon, customers whom Life! spoke to on Laduree’s opening day on Monday also commented on the small boutique and counter.

Housewife Linda Wong, 60, who spent almost $200 on Laduree macarons and chocolates, says: “I’ve been to the outlets in London and Paris, so I feel like the outlets here are a bit too small. Having a cafe for people to sit and dine in will also be good.”

Laduree’s president David Holder, 45, who is in town this week for the brand’s opening, says: “Both outlets complement each other. The counter has high traffic and visibility, but it doesn’t have a ceiling and walls like the boutique.

“I like to start small. I also like to see people queuing and asking when we are going to have a tearoom. I have the chefs and am ready to open a tearoom when the time is right.”


David Holder, president of Ladurée

The Frenchman likens this strategy to what he adopted in New York, which will get its first tearoom in Soho by the end of this year, two years after its 700 sq ft retail shop opened in 2011.

The macarons sold in Singapore – best consumed within three days – are flown in twice a week from its Swiss factory, which produces macarons for Laduree’s international branches.

So far, since the outlets’ opening, the top seller here is the Salted Caramel flavour, like in France, leading Mr Holder to say that “Singaporeans have French taste”.

He took over Laduree in 1993 in a quiet arrangement with the previous owners when he knew that there was a family conflict. He started the international expansion in 2005 and now has branches in Belgium, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan.

A trained baker himself, he had considered entering the local market seven years ago, but notes that “the market would not have been mature enough”. He has plans to take the brand to Malaysia and Indonesia as well.

Besides choosing new flavours and store locations, Mr Holder and his team also work on fashion collaborations with brands such as Lanvin, Christian Louboutin and Marni. The father of two does not rule out working with local designers here too.

While Laduree’s macarons are often compared to those by fellow French pastry chef Pierre Herme – who worked with Laduree from 1995 to 1998 – Mr Holder is unfazed.

He says: “Pierre Herme is a good chef. But it’s not a matter of having a good chef; it’s about a good history, brand and product. Laduree was existing 150 years before Pierre Herme and, after he is dead, Laduree will continue to exist for the next few generations. There’s nothing to compare.”

The Laduree boutique (02-09, tel: 6884-7361) and counter (01-24A) in Ngee Ann City are open from 10am to 9.30pm daily.

This article was originally published on April 18, 2013 on The Straits Times.com. Go to http://sph.straitstimes.com/premium/life/story/queue-macaron-tearoom-20130418 to read the full article.

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