Bubble tea brand Gong Cha shuts all outlets in Singapore ahead of 2026 relaunch

SINGAPORE: Bubble tea brand Gong Cha has closed all its outlets in Singapore, ahead of a global relaunch in 2026, the company said.

In a press release on Thursday (Oct 2), Gong Cha Global said it had decided not to renew its current agreement with its incumbent franchisee, but will relaunch in Singapore in 2026 with new local franchisees as part of a global "Gong Cha 2.0" revamp.

"Singapore is a really important market for us, and we’re really excited about relaunching in 2026," said Gong Cha global CEO Paul Reynish.

"We have seen fantastic results in Japan and South Korea, with customer wait times significantly reduced, higher repeat visits, and overall customer satisfaction levels up. Next year, we’ll bring this concept to Singapore and relaunch our ambitious plans to scale in the market alongside new franchisees."

Earlier on Thursday, Gong Cha's Singapore CEO Kang Puay Seng told Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao that the business here was no longer a franchisee of the Gong Cha brand from Oct 1.

"The company has closed all Gong Cha stores in Singapore and ceased all related operations," he said in a statement, adding that all issues related to the closures will be handled responsibly and fairly.

"We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all stakeholders who have contributed to Gong Cha Singapore since 2017, especially our loyal customers and hardworking staff," Mr Kang added.

The closure of several outlets in the past two days had sparked questions about the future of the brand in Singapore.

Its Singapore website and social media pages were unavailable, and none of the three outlets that CNA visited on Thursday afternoon were open. 

This included the outlet at Compass One in Sengkang. 

A staff member at an adjacent shop said that the outlet was also closed yesterday, but was operating the day before that. She added that she thought it was closed for renovation.

The outlet at Changi General Hospital's integrated building was also closed.

At the Nex mall outlet, a sign at the cashier read: "Closed for maintenance today." An employee from a nearby shop said it was last open on Tuesday. 

Its drinks were not available for order on food delivery platform Grab.

Founded in 2006 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Gong Cha expanded into Singapore in 2009. It briefly exited the Singapore market in June 2017, with its outlets here replaced by homegrown bubble tea brand LiHo.

It returned to the Singapore market a few months later under a different franchisee in December 2017. Mr Kang, who co-founded the Mr Bean soy milk chain, was responsible for bringing Gong Cha back to Singapore.

According to its website, Gong Cha had 29 outlets in Singapore. 

Mr Reynish on Thursday thanked the hard work and commitment of Gong Cha's employees in Singapore.

"To Gong cha lovers across the country: this is not a goodbye, but rather a 'see you soon!'. We will be back in 2026 with an even bolder, more innovative and more exciting proposition,” he said.

The Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union (FDAWU) said that while there are no indications of how Gong Cha's workers would be affected, it stands ready to provide affected union members, if any, with assistance.

"In view of recent retrenchments carried out by other F&B companies, FDAWU appeals to all F&B workers to join the union earlier for better grievance intervention, and employment support and protection," it added.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) president Melvin Yong said the consumer watchdog has contacted Gong Cha Global "to clarify if customers holding prepaid or gift cards would be able to obtain refunds or redeem the unutilised value when the franchise re-opens in Singapore".

"CASE is also requesting the company to provide a clearer timeline on when the franchise will reopen in Singapore," Mr Yong said.

Consumers are advised to keep detailed records of any prepaid balances or gift card purchases, he added.