[Editor’s note: The following article has been updated according to Gong Cha’s statement on the temporary closures.]
Gong Cha shuts down all its Singapore shops once more
Taiwanese bubble tea model Gong Cha reportedly shut down all of its shops in Singapore yesterday (Oct 1), with all its Singaporean web sites and social media platforms unavailable.
Based on an article by Mothership, a number of posts on social media have famous the closure of many shops in current months, with one Google evaluation noting that its Plaza Singapura outlet has been changed by one other Taiwanese bubble tea model Chi Cha San Chen.
In-person checks by Mothership additionally revealed that a number of shops have certainly closed: an indication at its Nex outlet stating that the shop is “closed for upkeep” and bins may very well be seen at its Eunos Crescent retailer.
A further search on GrabFood and foodpanda additionally discovered that each one shops are listed as closed, with 15 listings on GrabFood and 5 on foodpanda.
The model’s second departure from Singapore
This isn’t the primary time Gong Cha has left the Singaporean market. It first launched within the city-state in 2009 beneath a franchise led by Rodney Tang, Common Supervisor of RTG Holdings. The franchise was ultimately bought to Gong Cha Korea, and Tang eventually left to launch a homegrown bubble tea brand, LiHo.
Gong Cha quickly exited Singapore in 2016, after Royal Tea Taiwan, the corporate proudly owning the model, didn’t renew a earlier franchise settlement. It made a comeback in December 2017 beneath a brand new grasp franchisee led by Mr Kang Puay Seng, the co-founder and former managing director of native soy milk model Mr Bean.
Fortunately, the closures are short-term
This sudden closure got here as a shock, and it seems to be solely short-term.
Based on a media assertion by Gong Cha International, the model has determined to not renew its present settlement with the present Grasp franchisee. It’ll relaunch in Singapore with new native franchisees as a part of a ‘Gong Cha 2.0’ revamp.
Paul Reynish, International CEO of Gong Cha, described Gong Cha 2.0 as a technology-led retailer design that has been launched in its Japan and South Korea shops. He famous that buyer wait instances have considerably lowered, and the variety of repeat visits and buyer satisfaction have elevated since its improve.
“It will give us a very sturdy platform to grasp our development potential on this improbable market and construct a market-leading place,” wrote Reynish. “This isn’t a goodbye, however reasonably a ‘see you quickly!’”
- Learn extra information articles we’ve lined in Singapore here.
Featured Picture: Chris Tan by way of Google Maps, screenshot by Vulcan Submit
