PETALING JAYA: Loob Holding Sdn Bhd is collaborating with leading Dubai-based conglomerate Eureka Restaurant & Café to bring Tealive, the top Southeast Asian lifestyle tea brand, into the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
This marks its first foray into the lucrative Middle East market after having entered Africa and North America in the past two years.
Loob Holding founder and CEO Bryan Loo signed the Master Franchise Agreement in Dubai earlier this week with Eureka Restaurant & Café, 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 & Cafe are diversified family-led conglomerates rooted in the broader Galadari family legacy, venturing into theme parks, Food & Beverage, technology, trading, commodities and investments.
With over 1,000 outlets in Southeast Asia, Mauritius, and Canada, the brand now looks to cater to the growing thirst for bubble tea and lifestyle beverages in the Middle East, starting with the UAE’s vibrant and diverse market.
“The UAE is an exciting market with a dynamic food and beverage landscape, and we are thrilled to introduce Tealive to this region,” Loo said.
“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.”
Galadari shared similar enthusiasm: “We are delighted to collaborate with Tealive to bring this globally popular brand to the UAE, which has a population of over 10.2 mil. Tealive’s unique tea offerings align perfectly with the UAE’s cosmopolitan lifestyle and diverse tastes. We see tremendous potential for growth, and together, we aim 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.
“Our partner Eureka Restaurant & Café is one of the leading players in the food and beverage space. We will leverage on their local expertise and network to develop the market further,” Loo said.
He added Tealive would continue its current regional strategy of starting small and scaling up fast with the right market conditions. “In Eureka Restaurant & Café, we have a partner with the local knowledge and local expertise with immense international exposure and experience. Together, we are poised to rapidly expand and promote our unique lifestyle tea culture throughout UAE,” he said.
“Our partner is also involved in the largest theme park in UAE with about 20,000 visitors daily. Of course, we’ll have our Tealive store there too,” Loo quipped.
