All Gong Cha outlets in S’pore closed, social media accounts & website down
Though Taiwanese bubble tea brand Gong Cha has shut down all its outlets in Singapore, this will be a temporary closure.
Gong Cha confirmed to The Straits Times (ST) that its franchise agreement had ended, but it will relaunch in 2026.
Gong Cha 2.0 to launch in 2026
In a statement on Thursday (2 Oct) evening, Gong Cha Global Chief Executive Officer Paul Reynish said it had decided not to renew the agreement with its master franchisee in Singapore.
However, it is not leaving Singapore but only “temporarily shut”.
Describing Singapore as “a really important market”, Mr Reynish stated that its new Gong Cha 2.0 stores will be introduced to Singapore in partnership with new local franchisees.
Having already opened in South Korea and Japan, Gong Cha 2.0 will have “award-winning technology-led store design” to improve overall customer experience.
Source: Gong cha Global on LinkedIn
He told fans in Singapore that “this is not a goodbye” for the brand, adding:
We will be back in 2026 with an even bolder, more innovative and more exciting proposition.
Multiple Gong Cha outlets closed across S’pore
The news comes after it was noticed that multiple Gong Cha outlets in Singapore had shut down.
In July, the I Love Tampines Facebook page shared that the Gong Cha outlet in Simei MRT had ceased operations. This was followed by the outlet in Tampines MRT, the page said last month.
Source: Google Maps via I Love Tampines on Facebook
Additionally, users on Yelp reported that the Tanjong Pagar and I12 Katong branches had shut down.
MS News observed that the Gong Cha outlet in Nex mall was shuttered on Thursday (2 Oct), with a sign saying it was “closed for maintenance today”.
Gong Cha social media & website taken down
Besides the physical store closures, the brand’s online presence disappeared.
Checks by MS News revealed that its Facebook and Instagram pages are now unavailable, and its Singapore website has also been taken down.
However, its international site’s store finder still lists several Singapore outlets as operational, including the one at Simei MRT.
Source: Gong Cha
On GrabFood, 16 Gong Cha outlets are featured, but they are all labelled “closed”.
Most of these listings showed future opening dates, ranging from 2 Oct to 4 Jan.
Source: Grab
Gong Cha S’pore confirms closure
Mr Kang Puay Seng, Gong Cha Singapore’s CEO, said in a statement to Lianhe Zaobao that Gong Cha Singapore had ceased to be the franchisee of the Gong Cha brand from Wednesday (1 Oct).
Thus, all its stores in Singapore had shut down.
MS News has reached out to Gong Cha for more information.
Netizens speculate over reasons for the closures
Before news of the relaunch was released, Reddit users shared their observations about the popular bubble tea brand’s probable closure.
For example, one user observed that a competitor, Koi, had replaced the Gong Cha outlet in Hougang Mall.
Source: Reddit
Others speculated on the reasons why Gong Cha would shut down.
A commenter wondered if the matcha fad has overshadowed that of bubble tea.
Source: Reddit
Another user felt that a closure would be “well-deserved” as the business had failed to “innovate”, thus losing out to competitors.
Source: Reddit
A netizen waxed nostalgic, noting that Gong Cha was “one of the oldest bubble tea brands” in Singapore, and its closure was thus the “end of an era”.
They felt that there are now “too many better bubble tea stores” around, making it easy to forget that the brand still exists.
Source: Reddit
Gong Cha’s turbulent history in Singapore
This is not the first time that Gong Cha has shut down in Singapore.
Gong Cha first entered the Singapore market in 2009.
However, it left the market in mid-2017, with its former franchisee converting all outlets into a new homegrown chain called LiHO TEA.
Later that same year, the brand made a comeback in Singapore under a new franchisee helmed by Mr Kang.
Its first reopened outlet was in SingPost Centre, and drew long queues from old fans.
Also read: S’porean Man Hosts Wedding Reception At Gong Cha, Guests Enjoy BBT & Bread
S’porean Man Hosts Wedding Reception At Gong Cha, Guests Enjoy BBT & Bread
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image from MS News and Eatbook.
