Gong cha to open over 200 UK stores
Gong Cha, a Taiwanese bubble tea brand that currently has 13 stores in the UK, has signed a franchise agreement and plans to expand its stores across the UK on a large scale, with 225 stores to be opened in the coming years.
Photo credit: Gong Cha
According to the Daily Mail, Taiwan’s bubble tea brand Gong Cha has signed a franchise agreement with new franchise consortium Jinziex to open at least 225 stores in the UK over the coming years.
Gong Cha, a bubble tea chain, currently operates 13 stores in some of the country’s largest cities such as London, Birmingham and Manchester in the UK. The first locations of Jinziex’s Gong Cha stores are expected to open in Romford, Hornchurch, Sidcup and Gravesend in April 2025.
Gong Cha’s global CEO Paul Reynish aims to open 500 stores in the UK, highlighting the market as “ripe for franchising”. In 2019, Gong Cha relocated its headquarters from Seoul, South Korea to London.
The plan to open at least 225 stores under the agreement is expected to create nearly 2,000 jobs. This is exciting news for Hong Kongese, Taiwanese and even Japanese who love bubble milk tea in the UK. We can buy and drink it anytime without going to big cities!