The Philippines becomes OldTown White Coffee’s fourth international market, after Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong, with the coffee chain also targeting further outlet growth across Malaysia in the second half of 2023
The Ipoh-based coffee chain, which has approximately 200 outlets across Malaysia, joins The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice, Tealive and Wouldulike Specialty Coffee at the shopping centre. In January 2023, OldTown White Coffee announced plans to open 50 new outlets across Malaysia this year, targeting growth in the country’s northern and eastern suburban regions. The coffee chain also has stores in Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong.
OldTown White Coffee, which also manufactures and distributes packaged instant coffee products to supermarkets across southeast Asia, was acquired by JDE Peet’s for $361m in 2017.
World Coffee Portal research forecasts the Filipino branded coffee shop market will exceed 2,000 outlets by 2025.
OldTown White Coffee is the latest branded coffee chain to enter the Philippines in the last 12 months, with Paris-based boutique café group Café Kitsuné and South Korea’s value-focused Paik’s Coffee among those to debut in the country.
Japan’s % Arabica has also announced it will relaunch in the Philippines this year with two stores in Manila’s Bonifacio Global City financial business district.
Further demonstrating opportunities for branded coffee chains in the Philippines, in April 2023 domestic start-up Pickup Coffee raised more than $26m to scale its value-focused coffee shop concept.
