TEALIVE SET TO BUBBLE IN INDIA
Company to open 140 outlets in Bangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi
LOOB Holding Sdn Bhd, the owner of Tealive tea beverage brand, aims to open 140 outlets in three cities in India — New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore — in the next five years.
Chief executive officer Bryan Loo said the plan would be implemented through World Iconic Brands Hospitality Pvt Ltd (WIB), which has been appointed as Tealive’s master franchisee in the Indian market.
“For the first year of operation in India, we aim to open 15 branches, with the first by August,” he said at the signing of master franchise agreement between Loob and WIB, here, yesterday.
WIB is a specialised franchise development company in India and is majority-owned by Franchise India, Asia’s largest integrated franchise service company.
He said India offers great potential for the company as it is a country of tea lovers.
Cooperation with WIB will cement Tealive as Malaysia’s first bubble tea brand to enter the Indian market.
“We chose the best collaborating partner, as WIB is owned by Franchise India, that has a record in the franchise business for over two decades,” he said.
WIB founder Gaurav Marya said India’s total tea production for 2016 was 1.27 tonnes and it had risen to 1.28 tonnes last year.
“We believe Tealive has huge potential in India because tea is familiar to Indians.”
Loo said India is the second overseas market after Vietnam.
The company has five branches in Vietnam and aims to open 25 more by year-end.
“Apart from Vietnam and India, we will also open a branch in Melbourne, Australia next month,” he said.
In Malaysia, Tealive has 175 branches and serves some 2.5 million customers a month.