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Tag: Tealive

  • Tealive Debuts in FMCG with Exciting New 3-in-1 Sachet Range!

    Tealive Debuts in FMCG with Exciting New 3-in-1 Sachet Range!

    As the retail landscape continues to evolve, companies are finding innovative ways to engage with consumers in a digital-first world. Asia stands at the forefront of this transformation, where brick-and-mortar stores and digital platforms increasingly collide. The spotlight is now on how businesses can craft strategies that resonate with a tech-savvy audience while staying grounded in traditional retail practices.

    Innovative Advertising Solutions

    The modern marketplace demands creativity and adaptability. Whether through eye-catching campaigns in print or dynamic digital advertisements, there are myriad opportunities for brands to connect with their target audience. Retailers that harness the power of strategic advertising can not only amplify their visibility but also fortify their brand identity.

    Dynamic Event Opportunities

    In an age where authentic engagement is key, hosting live or digital events can provide a stellar platform for brands to interact with customers. These gatherings can spotlight thought leaders, industry pioneers, and potential partners, making them invaluable networking opportunities. Moreover, retailers can elevate their corporate profiles through awards programs that recognize excellence and innovation. After all, who doesn’t love a good pat on the back?

    Building Meaningful Partnerships

    In the cut-throat world of retail, collaboration is essential for success. Partnering with industry experts and influencers can enhance visibility and trust within the marketplace. Letting seasoned professionals help shape your offerings can prove transformative, ensuring your business thrives in the competitive retail ecosystem.

    As we navigate these trends, one thing’s for sure: the fusion of creativity and commerce is here to stay! Who knew retail could be so thrilling?

    Questions & Answers

    What are some effective ways to advertise in the digital age?
    Effective advertising in the digital age involves combining attention-grabbing visuals with engaging content across social media and online platforms, alongside traditional print campaigns.

    How can events enhance a brand’s presence?
    Events create personal connections, foster networking, and allow brands to showcase their products or services directly to customers, effectively boosting brand loyalty.

    Why is partnership essential in today’s retail landscape?
    Partnerships can bring valuable expertise and resources, help enhance credibility, and provide new avenues for reaching customers, which is crucial for navigating a competitive market.

  • Tealive set to expand into Thailand, India

    Tealive set to expand into Thailand, India

    Malaysian bubble tea chain Tealive is expanding its presence in Asia with exclusive franchise arrangements entered into for India and Thailand.

    Tealive, which launched successfully in the UAE last year, has signed a master franchise agreement with Indian QSR operator Devyani International Limited (DIL) to expand into India.

    DIL is India’s largest Yum! Brands franchisee, running KFC and Pizza Hut locations, as well as the country’s official Costa Coffee operator. DIL operates around 2000 stores in India, Thailand, Nigeria, and Nepal under several brands.

    “Partnering with a strong local operator like DIL gives us the ability to adapt and thrive in India while also extending the Tealive lifestyle to millions of new consumers,” said Loob Holding founder and CEO Bryan Loo.

    Loo also stated that Tealive is planning a “significant presence” in India, beginning with outlets in major cities this year.

    Tealive also intends to expand into Thailand with the local partner RD Group – the Thai KFC franchise holder.

    “We’re thrilled to kick off Tealive’s expansion in Thailand, just like we did in Malaysia,” Loo wrote in his LinkedIn post.

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  • Malaysian bubble tea chain brewing up rapid expansion, to revisit IPO plans

    Malaysian bubble tea chain brewing up rapid expansion, to revisit IPO plans

    Malaysia’s Loob Holding, which owns Southeast Asia’s biggest bubble tea brand by stores, will consider plans for a share listing once it reaches its target of operating 1,000 Tealive stores in the country by 2024, its top executive said.

    “By then, we may consider an IPO if the timing and pricing are attractive,” Bryan Loo, Loob’s chief executive officer, told Reuters in an interview.

    Loob, which opened its 800th Tealive store in Malaysia last month, had previously planned for a Malaysian IPO but put it on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, according to a media report.

    In June last year, Loob gained funding from Malaysian private equity fund Creador, which bought a 30% stake in it but the companies did not provide financial details.

    “With Creador on board, our options for funding have indeed widened very much,” Loo said, adding that Loob was “adequately funded” for its current planned expansion.

    “So the question of whether we will go for an IPO and if so, in which market, is best re-visited a year from now,” said Loo, who founded Loob in 2010 and launched Tealive in 2017.

    Tealive makes and sells beverages ranging from pearl milk tea to coffee and has expanded to countries including Vietnam, the Philippines, Australia and the United Kingdom.

    The expansion comes a time when Malaysia’s economy grew at its fastest annual pace in a year in the second quarter, with consumer spending picking up strongly following the easing of coronavirus restriction. Other milk tea brands such as CHAGEE and KOI have also expanded rapidly in the Southeast Asian country.

    Loob is also gearing up to double Tealive’s store count in the Philippines annually, with a target of 300 stores by 2024 from 25 currently, Loo said.

    Besides Tealive, Loob also owns sparkling water maker Sodaxpress, kombucha brand Wonderbrew and coffee brand Bask Bear Coffee. Loob is expanding at a rate of 100 Tealive and 100 Bask Bear Coffee outlets a year in Malaysia, according to Loo.

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  • Tealive appoints advisors for IPO

    Tealive appoints advisors for IPO

    Malaysian bubble-tea chain Tealive parent, Loob Holding, has appointed advisors as it prepares for an IPO this year.

    Last year, the company said that it aimed to raise MYR300 million (US$72 million) for Malaysian IPO.

    According to The Malaysian Reserve, however, Tealive’s owner and the operator could raise MYR1 billion based on prior valuation, depending on the market and investors’ view.

    “There will never be the right timing in business, including when to list,” said Bryan Loo, founder and CEO at Loob Holding. “Our ultimate long-term mission is to build Malaysia’s very own global lifestyle tea brand.”

    Managing several F&B brands such as Ko Ko Kai and Define Food, Loob operates more than 500 Tealive outlets. It also has stores in China, Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei, Myanmar, Australia and the UK.

  • Malaysian bubble-tea chain Tealive Eying IPO

    Malaysian bubble-tea chain Tealive Eying IPO

    Loob Holding, parent of Malaysian bubble-tea chain Tealive, is preparing an IPO in Malaysia with a view to raising MYR300 million (US$72 million).

    The firm, which operates more than 200 food-and-beverage outlets in the territory, has reportedly hired advisors to facilitate the process and is seeking a valuation of up to MYR1 billion.

    “We have engaged corporate advisers for this exercise,” said Loo’s CEO Bryan Loo. “We cannot confirm the valuation sought nor the IPO portion, pending final recommendations from our advisers.”

    New listings have been slow off the mark this year, with only $9.4 million in first-time sales so far compared to $47.8 million during the same period last year. Several retail businesses are expected to list shortly, including Malaysia KFC operator QSR Brands and home improvement chain Mr DIY.

  • Tealive parent Loob Holding eyes on IPO

    Tealive parent Loob Holding eyes on IPO

    Tealive parent Loob Holding, is planning an IPO to fund ‘aggressive expansion’. The company is looking to open 1000 Tealive stores in 15 countries by the end of next year.

    Along with another 150 new outlets in India by 2024.

    China is still its focus market, with 500 more outlets to come after first outlet opened last November.

    Tealive has more than 200 outlets in its home market, seven in Vietnam, two in China, and one in Australia. About one third of these are operated by franchisees.

    Loob Holding CEO Bryan Loo said the company is building relationships with potential business partners in Japan, Indonesia, Myanmar, Mongolia, and the UAE, while Singapore is also in its expansion plan.

    Apart from Tealive, Loob also runs F&B franchises in Malaysia, including Gindaco, Croissant Taiyaki, Define:food, Define:burgers and Ko Ko Kai.

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  • Tealive makes debut with opening first store in China

    Tealive makes debut with opening first store in China

    Malaysian bubble-tea brand Tealive has launched the first of 500 stores planned for China. Located inside SML Center in Shanghai’s Huangpu district, the store attracted long queues on the opening day. “With China being the world’s largest tea market and the fourth overseas market for Tealive, we decided to create a specific menu for China to showcase Southeast Asian ingredients including durian, cempedak, gula melaka, Bentong ginger and Sabah-origin tea,” said Tealive’s parent company Loob CEO Bryan Loo.

    “More outlets will be opened in Shanghai and we plan to have 20 outlets in China by June next year,” he added.

    Loob had entered into a joint venture with two Chinese companies, Zhejiang Boduo International Trade and Shanghai Panfei International Trade to open 500 stores in China within three years.

    After the dispute with Chatime, Tealive has expanded to overseas markets. It entered Vietnam last October, and now has six stores in the country, with two more planned by the end of this year.

    The brand also expanded into Australia in July, with its first store opening in Melbourne.

    In India, Loob has appointed a master franchisee with the target of opening 200 outlets within five years.

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  • Loob takes Chatime Malaysia to court

    Loob takes Chatime Malaysia to court

    A defamation suit filed by bubble tea brand Tealive against Chatime Malaysia will be heard next February.

    Tealive’s owner Loob Holdings was formerly the primary franchise holder for Chatime before a series of disputes resulted in Chatime owners La Kaffa International terminating their agreement. Tealive is claiming that statements made and released to the media subsequent to Loob Holding’s departure from the brand were injurious to its business.

    The decision to proceed to trial follows the rejection of an appeal to cancel the suit by Chatime and its directors.

    Tealive is demanding a written apology to be published in English and Bahasa Malaysia newspapers, an injunction to prevent a repeat of the defamatory statements, and general damages, costs and other relief as appropriate.

  • Tealive to apply for stay of execution after injunction threatens to close 161 outlets

    Tealive to apply for stay of execution after injunction threatens to close 161 outlets

    Tealive owner Loob Holding Sdn Bhd will file an application for a stay and for leave to appeal to the Federal Court after the Court of Appeal granted an injunction by Chatime franchisor La Kaffa International Co Ltd against Tealive from continuing its operations.

    La Kaffa had filed the appeal after the High Court dismissed its injunction bid in May 2017 against former franchise holder Loob from carrying a similar business as Chatime.

    “This matter is being handled by our lawyers and we will let the due process of law take its course. We have instructed them to make the necessary application to the courts to allow us to maintain status quo until final settlement of the entire legal process,” Loob said in a statement today.

    Loob is now at risk of closing 161 of its Tealive outlets, which will affect 800 staff, if the injunction stays.

    Tealive was created following a dispute between Loob and La Kaffa last year that saw the Taiwanese franchisor terminate its Chatime master franchisee contract with Loob.

    Loob has since expanded Tealive overseas, including in China, Australia, India and Vietnam.

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  • Loob to bring Tealive to China, eyes 500 outlets within 3 years

    Loob to bring Tealive to China, eyes 500 outlets within 3 years

    Loob Holding Sdn Bhd, the creator of Malaysia’s Tealive bubble tea brand, today announced a joint venture with two China companies to bring 500 Tealive stores to China within three years.

    The Malaysian company inked the deal with Zhejiang Boduo International Trade Co Ltd and Shanghai Panfei International Trade Co Ltd at a ceremony attended by retail and franchise industry officials as well as government representatives from Malaysia and China.

    CEO Bryan Loo signed for Loob Holding, which will take a 51% majority stake in the joint venture known as Shanghai Loob Boduo Food and Beverage Co Ltd, subject to company registration approval by the relevant authorities in China.

    Loo said the joint venture would see the first Tealive outlet opening in Shanghai this September before more stores being opened in other selected cities. He expressed confidence that the joint-venture would be able to achieve the targeted 500 stores in three years.

    “Barely six months after the birth of Tealive, we took the brand to Vietnam and we now have five outlets. We have penetrated the Australian market with our first store there next month. Just last month, we appointed our master franchisee in India and we are targeting 140 outlets within five years,” Loo said.

    China, the world’s largest tea market, will be the fourth overseas market for Tealive.

    Loo said Tealive served 2.5 million consumers each month in its 175 outlets and the brand was still expanding every week.

    On prospects in China, Loo said latest indicators were that the market for tea in China had now exceeded US$21 billion per year.

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  • Chatime Malaysia sues Tealive

    Chatime Malaysia sues Tealive

    Chatime Malaysia Sdn Bhd yesterday issued a legal letter to Loob Holding Sdn Bhd for the misrepresentation and defamation on Chatime implying that the brand had been replaced and renamed as Tealive.

    Chatime Malaysia group managing director Aliza Ali said Loob Holding had deliberately misrepresented and misled the public that Chatime had been renamed and is now operating as Tealive in Malaysia.

    It said this was done through headlines on the Loob Holding website, particularly two headlines “Chatime renamed as Tealive” and “Tealive replaced Chatime” that falsely indicate that Chatime was renamed to Tealive.

    “We have given them a considerably long grace period of one year to rectify the issue, unfortunately Loob Holding’s website still holds the two headlines ‘Chatime renamed to Tealive’ and ‘Tealive ganti Chatime’, with a new headline that reads ‘Tealive replaced Chatime’,” said Aliza.

    She said this was published as recent as February 2018; all of which have led the public to believe that Chatime has ceased to exist as a result.

    “These misleading statements from Loob Holding have cost us our goodwill and our brand, as such we felt obliged to address the confusion and safeguard Chatime’s reputation in both Malaysia, as well as at an international level,” said Chatime Malaysia executive director Widayu Latiff.

    A year after taking over the Chatime market in Malaysia as its master franchisee, Aliza said that it is now taking on necessary steps to protect the brand, which may include legal proceedings.

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  • Tealive says “Hi” to Vietnam

    Tealive says “Hi” to Vietnam

    Bubble-tea brand Tealive has made its debut in Vietnam with two stores in one month.

    The first one is located in Vincom shopping centre while the second one is a standalone store on Le Thanh Ton Street, near Ben Thanh market.

    To mark its debut in Vietnam, Tealive introduced five exclusive drinks.

    Bryan Loo, founder and CEO of Tealive, is confident the brand will win over local millennials.

    Tealive Vietnam plans to open three more stores before the end of this year, targeting 20 next year.

    Tealive, owned by Loob Holdings, rebranded from Chatime after a dispute with outlets.

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  • International brands battle for Vietnam milk tea market

    International brands battle for Vietnam milk tea market

    As Vietnam’s economy grows the Vietnam milk tea market has become a battleground for foreign franchises.

    The latest debutant is Taiwanese milk tea brand T4, founded in 2004,  and which has steadily built an international network now including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, China, the UK and the US.

    The first T4 outlet in Vietnam is a two-storey building, located on Phan Xich Long street in Ho Chi Minh City, a popular destination for milktea fans, where consumers are spoilt for choice.

    Next on the scene is Tealive, a new brand from the former Malaysian master franchisee for Chatime.

    And while new names are coming, current players are expanding their networks, in a market share battle even more fierce than the notorious coffee market stoush.

    Gong Cha, Hong Kong-based Taiwanese milk tea chain, plans to boost franchise this year, after building a strong foothold in Ho Chi Minh City with 10 outlets. Now, Gong Cha is opening two stores in Hanoi and one in Danang, with more to come in other cities, including Haiphong.

    Considered a prime competitor for Gong Cha, Koi The came to Vietnam in September 2015, and currently operates seven outlets in Ho Chi Minh City, all located in busy downtown sites or shopping malls.

    Nguyen Hoai Phuong, a spokesperson for Gong Cha Vietnam, previously told a local newspaper that milktea is the weapon to win in Vietnam’s beverage cafe market, largely due to the youthful Vietnamese population.

    That might well be the reason why more and more international brands are planning Vietnam expansion.

    More big names have just joined the segment – Queeny, Chachago, Sharetea and Goky.

    Middle market players include Bobapop, Teacup and Dingtea, the oldest player in the sector. Dingtea landed in Vietnam in 2014 and has now built a network of nearly 100 outlets across the country. It has 350 stores in China and 650 globally.

    In this battle, local brands seem to struggle, with only a few names having gained a reputation and real market penetration. Hot and Cold might be considered the most successful, a pioneer in the Vietnam milk tea market since 2011. Charting a different course to most of its rivals, Hot and Cold grew market share with a customised menu and finger food.

    Given the size of the market and Vietnam’s young population, many more milk tea and juice brands are expected to try their luck in due course, making the battle for share even more fierce.

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  • Malaysian bubble-tea stoush now question of loyalty

    Malaysian bubble-tea stoush now question of loyalty

    Malaysia’s Chatime bubble-tea stoush continues, with a fresh argument regarding outlet loyalties.

    Taiwanese Chatime franchise owner La Kaffa International says nearly 50 outlets will stay with it, while former Malaysian master franchisee Loob Holdings claims that only four outlets have opted to keep the Chatime banner.

    Loob CEO Bryan Loo says more than 95 per cent of the total 165 Chatime outlets in Malaysia have decided to quit the brand and adopt Loob Holding’s new brand.

    “Only three franchisees, who run a total of four stalls, do not want to move on with us. They will be handed back to the franchise owner,” he told journalists at Kuala Lumpur’s Pavilion Shopping Mall after launching his new brand, Tealive.

    He did not name the franchisees or pinpoint their outlets.

    Loo says the new name was chosen to appeal not only to Malaysians, but across the other regions – and internationally.

    “So we felt like we had to find a very good name; and it had to be different from Chatime. We started with over 300 names and over three days, we shortlisted it down to 30 names and then the last one. In the end, we wanted a name that was simple and easy to digest no matter who you are.

    “While shortlisting, we felt that we exceptionally liked the names that had different pronunciations.

    People used to pronounce Chatime in so many different ways and it stirred conversation. So we wanted the same spirit; and that’s how we landed on the name Tealive (live pronounced similar to ‘a live show’). Some people could pronounce it tea-live (as in live at home) but the important thing is the underlying meaning to it – we want to bring a new life to tea.”

    Loo said in an interview that Tealive will be very different to other brands in the crowded bubble-tea market.

    “We want to be the brand that protects the weak and isn’t afraid of the strong; but also the brand that embraces changes. On the other side, with our hands untied, I believe that over the next quarters there is going to be a lot of innovation in terms of products, which we couldn’t do before.

    “When we used to collaborate with local brands, we were served warning letters; so moving forward that’s something we don’t have to worry about, so we can be innovative. I would also like to establish a regional R&D centre to come up with more creative drinks that will excite the market. Also, we’re looking to carry on with our aggressive expansion and move into other regions. We were already planning to do that with the previous brand, but now we get to do it with Tealive,” Loo said.

    La Kaffa contradicts claims

    At a press conference in a Kuala Lumpur hotel earlier this month, La Kaffa International executive VP Teresa Wang said the company was confident that nearly 50 franchisees would continue to collaborate with Chatime.

    At the same time, La Kaffa claimed Loob Holdings had stopped ordering the halal ingredients it supplied from Taiwan for Chatime’s Malaysia outlets. Loob Holdings has denied this, with Loo saying its products are certified by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim).

    The dispute bubbled to the surface in early December when the Taiwanese company terminated the master franchise agreement between the two parties, even though there was more than 20 years left on the deal.

    Loo has lodged a police report over the sudden termination, and both companies have taken the dispute to the Singapore International Arbitration Centre.

    Vietnam foray

    Meanwhile, Loo says Tealive will be opening its first overseas outlet in Vietnam before October.
    “We plan to deliver five outlets in Vietnam this year, and hope to increase that with another 20 outlets by the end of next year,” he says.

    Chatime is already in Vietnam with seven outlets in Hanoi, two in Ho Chi Minh City and one in Di An, Binh Duong province.

    Loo says Tealive will also venture into other Asean countries within the next few years.

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