Gong cha is set to open a further 17 stores in Australia this year, adding to the 118-strong store network now operating.
Last year the global milk tea business hit the 100-store mark in Australia, and then added 18 outlets throughout 2021.
The expansion is part of a wider international growth plan with a focus on development in Japan, Mexico, New York and the Philippines.
According to The Korea Times, Gong cha ended 2021 with a global footprint of 1661 stores including 90 new outlets opened in Japan. The brand’s store presence grew internationally by 17 per cent last year.
In 2022 the New York master franchisee is expected to unveil another 25 stores; in Mexico the plan is to almost double the number of outlets to 51 stores; while the Philippines has 34 new milk tea venues scheduled to open.
At the end of 2021 Korea had 777 Gong cha outlets, according to The Korea Times, with a further 87 planned for 2022.
The Gong cha brand was founded in Taiwan in 1996 and is now owned by the Gong Cha Group, headquartered in London.
