Major beverage shop chains have announced price increases, citing higher operational costs due to government policies regarding basic wages, human resources, water and electricity, as well as increased raw material costs.
Beverage chain CoCo (都可) on its Web site announced a NT$5, or 14.2 percent, increase to NT$40 in the price of popular drinks, including bubble tea, while its Assam milk tea increased 16.6 percent to NT$35 per cup.
However, the price of milk with pudding and tapioca dropped 8 percent from NT$60 to NT$55, and the cost of milk with taro dropped 9 percent from NT$55 to N$50, it said.
Photo: Wang Chun-chung, Taipei Times
Ching Shin Fu Chuan (清心福全) on Thursday also announced on its Web site that it would raise prices due to increased personnel and sales costs.
As of Thursday next week, all Ching Shin stores in Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan and Hsinchu are to see a NT$5 hike for nine medium and large-sized drinks — seven tea-based and two mixed, the company said.
The prices of medium-sized fruit juices are also to increase NT$5, an average increase of 2.84 percent, the company said, adding that stores in central, southern and eastern Taiwan are exempt from the change.
Meanwhile, 50 Lan (50嵐) said it would increase prices in central Taiwan, but drinks priced at NT$50 would not change.
The pricing scale for northern Taiwan started at a higher level than the other regions and therefore would not be changed, 50 Lan said, adding that while it has no plans to adjust prices in southern Taiwan, such a change could still happen.
The price hikes are to cover growing costs due to increases in the minimum wage, raw material costs and water and electricity fees, it said.
The government’s revised minimum wage standards took effect on Jan. 1, with the monthly minimum wage raised from NT$21,009 to NT$22,000 and the hourly minimum wage raised from NT$133 to NT$140.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from