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Bubble tea shops across Malaysia are closing down; queues disappear at popular spots.

More retail outlets closing down.
Bubble tea shops across Malaysia are closing down; queues disappear at popular spots. 31

Bubble tea shops in cities across Malaysia have been closing down one after another, as many of them suffer from falling revenues amidst the pandemic.

SS15 (Subang), one of the most popular areas selling bubble tea, is now deserted today with more than half the shops permanently closed.

Once popular boba shops are now covered with “for sale” and “for rent” signs/stickers all over, signalling their permanent closures.

Bubble tea shop closures at a popular street in Subang, Malaysia.
“For sale” and “for rent” signs at previously popular bubble tea shops.

While many shops have closed down, a handful are still operating as usual — mostly notable brands such as TeaLive, Xing Fu Tang, KOI, The Alley, and several others.

While these brands have not been as severely affected as the ones who have closed, most have downsized their operations or merged with other F&B outlets to reduce their overheads.

Wilfred Tan
Former journalist cum editor. I lead the content creation process at News Asia Today. From the awesome country of Malaysia.