La Kaffa International Co (六角國際), which owns bubble milk tea brand Chatime (日出茶太), yesterday said that it plans to expand the number of its tea shops in Japan to 35 by the end of this year, from 20 last month, given the growing popularity of the beverage in that country.
“Among all our overseas branches, Japanese units show the highest growth in terms of single-store sales and store numbers,” a company public relations official told the Taipei Times by telephone.
The company expects Japan to be a major driving force for sales this year, as it has been opening stores in major cities, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“Our shop in Osaka’s Shinsaibashi District reported sales of more than 2,000 cups per day,” the official said, adding that it is the company’s top store in terms of sales.
La Kaffa attributed the popularity of Taiwanese drinks in Japan to similar tea drinking habits and the company’s marketing strategy, which focuses on branding and social media.
“We hope to further raise the visibility of our brand ahead of next year’s Tokyo Olympics,” the official said.
Indonesia remains La Kaffa’s largest overseas market with 250 stores and the number is expected to increase to 300 stores later this year, the company said.
Expansion plans are also underway in other overseas markets, as the company aims to operate 150 stores in Australia this year, compared with 100 last year, and raise the number of outlets in the Philippines from 85 to 120, it said.
In Taiwan, the company has no expansion plans for its restaurant chains, including Kingza Pork Chop (杏子豬排), DCZ Beef Noodles (段純貞牛肉麵), Osaka Ohsho Taiwan (大阪王將煎餃) and Kyoto-katsugyu Fried Steak (京都勝牛), the official said.
“Given their steady sales contribution, the company aims instead to focus on increasing their same-store sales this year,” they said.
La Kaffa early this year started using biodegradable polylactic acid straws in its stores in Taiwan and Australia, and plans to use them in other markets to adapt to local laws, it said.
Cumulative revenue in the first five months of the year soared 35.37 percent to NT$1.9 billion (US$61.03 million), from NT$1.41 billion a year earlier, thanks to steady expansion in Southeast Asia and contribution from China-based beverage chain Re Light Management Co Ltd (瑞里), of which La Kaffa late last year acquired a 60 percent stake.
La Kaffa shares yesterday closed up 0.68 percent at NT$149 in Taipei trading. They have skyrocketed 124.74 percent this year.
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