You can count on Taiwanese bubble milk tea brand Chatime to stand out from the crowd! Following Starbucks and McDonald’s, it has entered one of the most popular tourist attractions in France – the Louvre!
Its latest outlet is part of the beverage vendor’s efforts to extend the brand’s reach worldwide. Opened on 14 July 2018, Chatime is the first Asian beverage brand to set up a shop at the iconic Louvre, central news agency (CNA) reported.
This turns a “new leaf” for the company, said Wang Yao-hui, chairman for La Kaffa International Co, which owns the Chatime brand. Since the opening of its first branch in France in June 2017, the brand is expected to reach more 20 stores by the end of 2018.
According to local media in France, one bubble milk tea at the Louvre store cost 5.50 euros (rm25), more than a cup of Starbucks coffee sold in Paris.
Before the Louvre branch opened, Chatime had been running outlets in various French tourism attractions such as Notre-Dame de Paris, Printemps Department Store, Centre Georges-Pompidou and Opera Garnier, La Kaffa said.
Opening a store in the Louvre requires about Rm 2.5 million, which is costly. However, due to a large number of tourists visiting the Louvre and Chatime’s international presence, it is a worthy investment.
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Wang added that it is planning to open two more branches in Paris in the second half of this year, a move which expected to enable consumers from around the world to know more about Taiwan with the rising visibility of its unique beverage.
One of the six brands owned by La Kaffa, Wang said Chatime has intensified its efforts to open branches in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Cambodia while teaming up with partners there to penetrate these foreign markets.
He also said Europe, Central and South America are the key places La Kaffa is looking to target. At present, Chatime has over 800 stores in more than 35 countries worldwide, and it is expected to exceed 1,000 stores in the second half of 2019.
