KUALA LUMPUR: Loob Holding Sdn Bhd, the owner of tea brand Tealive, has signed a master franchise agreement with Dubai-based conglomerate Eureka Restaurant and Café to bring the brand into the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Loob Holding founder and chief executive officer Bryan Loo said the UAE is an exciting market with a dynamic food and beverage landscape.
"Partnering with Eureka is key to bringing our Tealive experience to the UAE, blending our innovative offerings with the local culture.
"We are confident this partnership will be the stepping stone to a successful Middle Eastern expansion," he said in a statement.
Eureka Restaurant and Café was represented by group founder Abdulwahab Ilyas Galadari, who is also a board member of the Ilyas & Mustafa Galadari (IMG) Group.
Both IMG Group and Eureka Restaurant and Cafe are diversified family-led conglomerates rooted in the broader Galadari family legacy, venturing into theme parks, food & beverage, technology, trading, commodities and investments.
Meanwhile, Galadari said that the group saw tremendous potential for growth, and it aimed to establish Tealive as the go-to bubble tea brand in the region.
"The first phase of the expansion will focus on key cities, with the first flagship store scheduled to open in Dubai in early 2025, followed by four more within the first year of operations across major cities in UAE," he said.
This move marks its first foray into the lucrative Middle East market after having entered Africa and North America in the past two years.
-- BERNAMA
TAGS: Tealive, UAE, expansion, Loob Holding