Tag: Loob Holding

India – Tealive, the milk tea brand under Loob Holding, is entering India following a master franchise deal with Indian quick service restaurant (QSR) operator Devyani International Limited (DIL). 

With over 950 outlets in Southeast Asia, Mauritius, Canada, and most recently the Middle East, Tealive now looks to bring its unique blend of tea and innovative beverage culture to India.

For both entities, India offers a vast market opportunity for lifestyle tea, particularly among its youthful demographic. This positions Tealive strategically, leveraging its strong brand identity and Southeast Asian influence. Although the Indian tea market is dominated by local brands and independent outlets, Tealive’s diverse menu and innovative selections are well-suited to meet the changing tastes of consumers.

Bryan Loo, founder and CEO at Loob Holding expressed confidence that DIL’s expansive network and F&B expertise would provide a solid foundation for Tealive to grow in India.

“Together with our partner, Tealive will bring our innovative lifestyle tea culture to the land of chai. Our partner knows the local market well and we’re planning significant presence in India, beginning with outlets in the major cities this year,” he said.

He also emphasised that Tealive would continue its current regional strategy of starting small and scaling up fast with the right market conditions. “With our partners’ local knowledge, industry experience, and extensive reach, we are well-positioned to rapidly expand and promote our unique lifestyle tea culture across India,” he said.

Bryan also added, “Partnering with a strong local operator like DIL gives us the ability to adapt and thrive in India while also extending the Tealive lifestyle to millions of new consumers.”

Meanwhile, Ravi Jaipuria, non-executive chairman at Devyani International Limited, commented, “We are delighted to introduce Tealive, a strong Asian brand, into India, known to have a rich tradition of chai culture. Tealive’s diverse lifestyle tea offerings perfectly align with India’s young and evolving consumer, who are increasingly drawn towards newer categories. Together, we are set to redefine and transform tea experience in the vibrant Indian market.”

DIL is the largest franchise partner for Yum! Brands in India, managing KFC and Pizza Hut locations, and serves as the exclusive franchisee for Costa Coffee in the country. Alongside these global brands, DIL has developed its own homegrown concepts, including Vaango, a well-known South Indian vegetarian restaurant, and The Food Street, a multi-cuisine food court.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – TBWA\Kuala Lumpur has partnered with Bask Bear on a daring endeavour – to rebrand their whole identity and launch a new mascot who brings life and meaning to their motto, ‘Taste the Confidence.’ 

With over 150 outlets across Malaysia and 500,000 app members, Bask Bear is as loved and accessible as the big players in the market, both online and offline. But they wanted to do something bold and distinctive to edge out the competition.

The rebrand was designed to reinforce the flavour and delight experienced in every bite and sip. Bask Bear needed a distinctive character to convey this message to the masses. And so, Brader BLE was born, drawing inspiration from the brand’s existing logo featuring the Malayan Sun Bear. 

Despite being the smallest species of bear, it has the longest tongue in the bear family and can stretch its tongue 20-25 centimetres long. This ability of its comically long tongue is one that exudes ultimate confidence. 

Starting with in-store murals and canvases of Brader BLE quotes, paired with retail packaging and in-store makeovers that taught customers how to B.L.E (Bite, Lick, Enjoy), Bask Bear set out to have as many eyeballs on the new campaign as possible. 

Launching it with a catchy music video featuring Brader BLE as the hero, Brader BLE defeats the enemy of confidence, “Fear”, with a twirl of his elastic tongue while twerking and dabbing to the beat.

Tay Kai Wei, head of brand at Bask Bear, said, “B.L.E is my eating ritual when I’m slurping and enjoying toasties and a good cup of coffee. It stands for ‘Bite, Lick, Enjoy’. Just three steps! Super easy to remember.” 

Manila, Philippines – Tealive, Southeast Asia’s leading lifestyle tea brand, has announced its market expansion to the Philippines, and has appointed Mike Dumaual as its general manager.

Born in 2017, Tealive has quickly grown to over 700 outlets worldwide. With the establishment of the brand’s first store in Manila, specifically at SM Jazz Mall in Makati, Tealive is ready to serve Filipinos with their own milk tea lineup, leading with Tealive’s signature Aren Palm Sugar Series.

In a statement to MARKETECH APAC, Dumaual said that in his role as Tealive’s country general manager, he will be focusing on store network expansion and brand development to aggressively grow the brand.

Dumaual was recently the marketing director of Mang Inasal, a barbecue fast food chain under the Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) portfolio. He told MARKETECH APAC that in his many years working in the QSR industry, trends have changed regarding how the industry moves.

“The biggest change would be the pivot from on-premise transactions (i..e, dine-in) to off-premise transactions (i..e, delivery, self pick-up, etc). So, for a business to survive, they have to be present in all channels,” he said.

Speaking about his appointment, Dumaual said, “I’m truly excited to lead Tealive’s grand entry into the Philippine market, knowing how milk tea-crazy this country is. The ambition is not just to make it a milk tea player but a major and respected F&B lifestyle brand that Filipinos will love.”

He also told MARKETECH APAC, “The opportunity is that customers can now decide anywhere on what to drink/eat, so the brand must be ready to take advantage of that opportunity by adopting an omnichannel approach that caters to the current needs of the market where speed and convenience are critical.”

Malaysia – Food & Beverage company Loob Holding in Malaysia, which owns the local bubble tea brand, Tealive, has announced a new head of digital marketing, Fabian Khaw. 

Khaw previously comes from smart urban development in Malaysia, i-City, where he held the position of digital marketing manager. In the said role, he oversaw the digital portal of i-City’s theme park, and was responsible for managing the theme park’s ad spend to bring in 6- to 7- digit RM revenue. 

For the new position at Loob Holding, Khaw shared to MARKETECH APAC that he will be providing the vision and leadership for the strategic development of all the brands’ digital marketing landscape and to ensure the delivery of an excellent and innovative digital experience to all of its existing and future customers.

Loob Holding owns a wide portfolio of F&B brands. Aside from Tealive, it also manages brands Bask Bear Coffee, Gindaco, Define Food, KoKoKai, and SodaXpress. Khaw will be handling the said entire portfolio to drive its digital presence. 

Khaw shared that he is charged with the responsibility of enhancing the omnichannel strategy of the brands to allow more touchpoints for the end users. Besides this, he will also be planning the necessary infrastructure to capture first-party data in preparing for a cookieless world.

“I am super excited to work closely with the leadership team and marketing team for the next phase of growth for Tealive and the other brands under Loob Holdings. I look forward to driving the digital front and unlocking further growth through new and existing channels.,” said Khaw. 

He added, “In this current economic situation where retail is no longer the main channel of purchase, people want the same self-service experience from a touch of their fingertips, and we can achieve that through a strong digital infrastructure.” 

With digitization as the top driver of brands and consumer companies in the current period’s physically-deprived lifestyle, Khaw said that the key challenge for digital marketing teams, specifically for F&B brands, is setting clear tracking and measurement of the performance for every dollar spent in advertising when it comes to driving customers to the retail front and also to the delivery partners. 

“As a marketeer, having this information is crucial for us to determine the most effective channel to acquire customers. With that said, I see an equal opportunity for brands, from big to small, new or old, to capitalize on many social media platforms that didn’t exist 5 to 10 years ago to reach the end users,” said Khaw. 

Khaw will be reporting directly to Loob Holding’s CEO, Bryan Loo. 

In line with the ongoing pandemic situation, Loo said they see the need to strengthen their digital presence and to create an omnichannel strategy that will allow for customers to reach their brands in any method that is most convenient to them. 

“We want someone who not only leads us on the digital front, but also to have someone who shares our Loob core values which are teamwork, entrepreneurial, honesty, and passion. Fabian brings both of that in a single package,” said Loo.