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Tag: Jollibean

  • Jollibean Commits to Paying Salaries for 22 Employees Amid Ongoing Challenges in Singapore’s Soya Milk Market

    Jollibean Commits to Paying Salaries for 22 Employees Amid Ongoing Challenges in Singapore’s Soya Milk Market

    In a troubling turn for employees at Jollibean, 29 workers are currently receiving assistance for unpaid salaries, as reported in a joint statement from the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management and the Ministry of Manpower on July 12. These salary disputes are not a recent development; they have been cropping up intermittently since December 2024.

    Drastic Downsize at Jollibean

    Once a dominant presence with over 30 outlets across Singapore, Jollibean’s store count has dwindled to just five locations. The company’s director, Shahrul Nazrin Mohd Dahlan, now navigating the firm under new ownership, has assured that they are working closely with authorities to resolve the salary issues by the end of this month. However, specifics regarding the delayed payments remain murky.

    Voices of Concern: Employees Speak Out

    An employee, revealed her distress over unpaid wages for May and June, with her December 2024 salary delayed by nearly three weeks. “It’s like being in a suspense thriller—you never know what’s going to happen next. I’ve had to dip into my savings just to handle rent and other bills,” she said, highlighting the struggles faced by her and other front-line staff. “It would have been helpful if management had given us a heads up about the company’s struggles instead of leaving us in the dark.”

    Ongoing Investigations and Future Prospects

    As the situation unfolds, the Ministry of Manpower is conducting an investigation into Jollibean for possible violations of the Employment Act and is committed to assisting impacted employees. Jollibean was established in Singapore back in 1995, becoming a beloved brand known for its soya milk and traditional pancake snacks, conveniently located in bustling shopping malls and MRT stations.

    However, the company’s fortunes began to wane during the Covid-19 pandemic, with a steady decline in brand popularity detailed in Berjaya Food’s annual reports after the Malaysian F&B operator acquired Jollibean in 2012 for SGD7.5 million (USD 5.86 million). Once the post-pandemic world opened up, Jollibean faced a challenging landscape marked by weakened consumer sentiment, dwindling foot traffic in the Central Business District, rising living costs, and a persistently uncertain economic climate.

    Questions & Answers

    What led to Jollibean’s financial difficulties?
    Jollibean has struggled due to various factors, including decreased consumer sentiment during the pandemic, lower foot traffic from flexible work arrangements, and increased living costs, all compounded by an uncertain economic outlook.

    How many employees are currently affected by unpaid wages?
    Currently, 29 workers are seeking assistance for unpaid salaries, as reported by the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management and the Ministry of Manpower.

    What actions are being taken to address the salary issues?
    Jollibean’s new ownership is collaborating with authorities to resolve outstanding salary payments, and the Ministry of Manpower is investigating the company for potential violations of the Employment Act.

  • Kenny Rogers Roasters, Jollibean to enter India market

    Kenny Rogers Roasters, Jollibean to enter India market

    The Kenny Rogers Roasters and Jollibean food retail brands are to launch in India.

    Malaysia’s Berjaya Food has signed a preliminary franchise partnership deal with India’s World Iconic Brands Hospitality (WIB) to take the banners into the new market.

    WIB will invest US$50 million to open 30 Kenny Rogers Roasters restaurants and 75 Jollibean kiosks in India over the next five years.

    Berjaya Food owns the two chains as well as operating Starbucks in Malaysia and Brunei.

    CEO Sydney Quays describes India as “a stepping stone” for the company to expand into more foreign markets.

    “We have a lot of interest from Southeast Asian countries,” he told the Sun Daily.

    With 970 shopping malls and more than 200 airports, India represents a strong potential market for both the brands, said WIB MD Gaurav Marya.

    “We’ll spend the next six to eight months to get the model right, understand the preference of consumers and we will scale up the business,” he said.

    The first new outlet will open early next year.

    WIB is a subsidiary of Franchise India, Asia’s largest integrated franchise solutions company, which manages 400 brands.

    Kenny Rogers Roaster restaurants already operate in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India and Dubai, while India is only the second offshore market for Jollibean, after Singapore.

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  • BFood sales rise despite consumer caution

    BFood sales rise despite consumer caution

    Malaysian food outlet group Berjaya Food (BFood) has had an 8 per cent rise in revenue to RM139.05 million (US$34.03 million) for its fourth quarter, ended April 30.

    BFood, which runs Jollibean, Kenny Rogers Roasters (KRR) and Starbucks outlets, says the increase is mainly because of higher sales in existing cafes along with income from new cafes.

    The group’s pre-tax profit dropped to RM7.67 million from RM10.06 million in the same quarter last year, mainly because of a lower contribution from KKR outlets as Malaysian consumers have been more cautious about spending after the implementation of the GST tax, plus the steep depreciation of the ringgit, affecting the profit margin of Berjaya Starbucks Coffee Company (BStarbucks).

    As well as this, during the quarter about RM600,000 was paid to Royal Malaysian Customs Department by BStarbucks for additional import duty and sales tax on purchases from its principal over the past few years.

    For the financial year, the group’s revenue grew 47 per cent to RM554.15 million from RM376.78 million the previous year. The higher revenue was mainly because of the full effect of consolidating BStarbucks, which became a subsidiary the previous financial year.

    With the weak consumer sentiment brought on by the introduction of the GST and various other factors, BFood will be working in a challenging environment in the next financial year, says the group. Nevertheless, it expects BStarbucks to maintain its revenue growth momentum.

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