The bubble has popped: Taiwan's Milksha shutters all outlets in Singapore
PHOTO: Facebook/Milksha
PUBLISHED ONJanuary 02, 2024 3:51 AMByVenkat Gunasellan What's the saying - new year, new me?
Well in this case, it's new year, no more Milksha. Yes, the Taiwanese bubble tea chain left our sunny shores last Sunday (Dec 31).
On Dec 31, Milksha took to Facebook and Instagram to bid farewell. According to the post, the last operating day of Milksha in Singapore was at its last outlet in Tampines One.
"As we bid farewell, we invite you to join us for one last cup of memories or simply drop by to reminisce with us," the post mentioned.
However, the post did not cite the reason for the brand's departure from Singapore.
A quick check on Milksha's Singapore website, at the time of writing, showed an error message, indicating that it's no longer available.
Milksha entered the fray in 2019, joining the saturated bubble tea scene with popular brands like Koi, LiHo and Gong Cha, and attracting customers in droves.
Milksha is known as Milkshop in Taiwan, opening its first store in 2007, in Jiali, Tainan.
Fast forward to now, the brand has more than 200 outlets across Taiwan, with branches in Japan, Canada, Australia and Macau.
Milksha stood out for its creamy concoctions, only using 100 per cent fresh milk in all its drinks.
Highlights include azuki matcha milk, fresh taro milk, Valrhona 100% cocoa milk and earl grey latte with honey pearls.
Another one bites the dust
In October 2023, Flash Coffee made headlines after closing all of its 11 outlets.
The firm's founder and chief executive officer David Brunier and director Sebastian Hannecker had given notice in October that the company was unable to continue its business "by reason of liabilities", reported The Business Times (BT).
The company filed for a voluntary winding-up due to its liabilities, with BDO Advisory appointed as the liquidator.
Despite having opened more than 200 stores globally in two years, Flash Coffee has reportedly been downsizing its operations in various markets, including Singapore since last year, BT reported.
It had almost 30 outlets in Singapore in 2021.
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