Whittard of Chelsea opens new stores in Taiwan
Whittard of Chelsea has chosen Taiwan for the opening of its first overseas stores of 2019 as part of its international expansion strategy.
The specialist tea, coffee and cocoa retailer has launched one store in the Breeze Nanshan department store and another at Taichung’s newly opened Mitsui Mall. In addition, the Mitsui store features the brand’s very first Tea Bar in Asia.
Whittard said it decided to prioritise Taiwan as a market due to the popularity of its brand with Taiwanese tourists and students visiting the UK.
The retailer said the Taiwanese stores are currently exceeding expectations in terms of sales and that it is now looking to open three further stores in the country before the end of the year.
The stores have been opened in partnership with Ruentex Group.
Mark Dunhill, Whittard of Chelsea’s chief executive, said: “After seeing evidence of the appeal of our brand to the Taiwanese consumer in our home market, we became very excited by the opportunity to introduce the brand to Taiwan and started looking for the right partner. We are delighted to have secured a partnership with Ruentex Group; they have an excellent record in bringing international brands to Taiwan and we share the same passion and ambition for Whittard.”
