Korea’s CJ Foodville has opened its first Tous Les Jours store in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China.

CJ Foodville now has Tous Les Jours stores in 14 regions of China and more business region-based contracts than any other Korean bakery franchise company in the world’s most populous nation. It says it is committed to opening more than 1000 stores in China by 2020.

The new bakery is located on the first floor of a landmark department store in Xinjiang’s capital city of Ürümqi, and saw more than 1000 customers on its opening day.

CJ Foodville established a master franchise contract with a local restaurant operating company last October.

One of the best-selling baked goods at the store is a Halal sandwich, which accounts for more than 20 per cent of overall sales, reflecting the unique demographic of Xinjiang Uyghur.

The company has 172 overseas stores in seven countries including the US and Vietnam.