Who loves bubble tea?? – ME!!🧋
There’s been a significant change for Gong Cha lovers in Singapore, as all its outlets have now closed. The company has clarified that this is not a permanent closure but a temporary pause before a major global relaunch.
Gong Cha Global has decided not to renew its current franchise agreement in Singapore. The brand is now planning to return in 2026 with new local partners as part of its “Gong Cha 2.0” revamp. This initiative has already shown promising results in other markets.
According to the global CEO, Paul Reynish, “Singapore is a really important market for us, and we’re really excited about relaunching in 2026.” He highlighted the success of the new concept in Japan and South Korea, where there have been notable improvements, such as “customer wait times significantly reduced, higher repeat visits, and overall customer satisfaction levels up.” The plan is to bring these same improvements to Singapore next year.
The CEO of Gong Cha Singapore, Kang Puay Seng, confirmed the situation to the Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao. He stated that as of October 1, the company was no longer a franchisee of the Gong Cha brand. Mr. Kang also issued a statement, saying, “The company has closed all Gong Cha stores in Singapore and ceased all related operations.” He added that all matters related to the closures would be handled fairly and responsibly.
Before the official announcement, the closure of several outlets over a few days had sparked questions among the public. The Gong Cha website and social media pages in Singapore were also unavailable, and several outlets, including those at Nex, Compass One, and Changi General Hospital, were noted to be closed. For instance, a sign at the Nex outlet simply said, “Closed for maintenance today.
A Quick Look Back
This is not the first time the bubble tea brand has seen a change in the Singapore market.
- 2009: Gong Cha first launched in Singapore.
- June 2017: The brand temporarily exited the market, and its outlets were replaced by a local brand, LiHo.
- December 2017: Gong Cha returned to Singapore under a different franchisee, led by Mr. Kang Puay Seng.
Mr. Reynish, the global CEO, offered a final word of reassurance to the brand’s loyal customers. “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) has also indicated that it is prepared to provide assistance to any union members who may be affected by the closures. Although Gong Cha was non-unionised, FDAWU is actively extending support. The union leveraged the Labour Movement’s network to link all affected staff to NTUC e2i for vital job matching, coaching, and skills upgrading support.
