Local bakery, restaurant and food court operator BreadTalk Group announced the opening of its new International Headquarters earlier Tuesday.

Costing $64.1 million, the BreadTalk IHQ occupies a 10-storey building at the Paya Lebar iPark along Tai Seng Street.

It will house the company's corporate office, research and development laboratories, training academy, warehousing facilities and central kitchens of its various food businesses.

Occupying a land area of 7,000 square metres, the BreadTalk IHQ will serve as the nerve centre of its global operations and platform for future expansion plans.

The ground floor of this building will feature a food hub that can accommodate more than 550 diners with the company's food-and-beverage brands such as Din Tai Fung, RamenPlay, BreadTalk, Toast Box and Food Republic.

The second storey has been set aside as a retail floor which is expected to be operational in July.

In a statement to the Singapore Exchange, the locally-listed firm said that the new building is designed by award-winning local architect Tan Kay Ngee.

BreadTalk's IHQ architecture is inspired by the many delicate layers of a Danish pastry, reflecting the dynamic, multi-facted personality of the company with its diverse portfolio of food-and-beverage and lifestyle brands.