One year in, Gong cha APAC CEO has big plans for the brand

Danny Lee said they are eyeing entry into the Middle East.

Gong cha is planning to hit 330 store openings before the end of 2023 and is eyeing entry into the Middle East to do so.

In a quick interview, Gong cha Asia Pacific CEO and global supply chain head of Gong cha International Danny Lee said they see a big opportunity for the brand in the Middle East, which currently the brand isn’t active like in Thailand.

“We are also looking at regions we are not in. Mostly on the Western side, especially in Europe. We also want to triple our store count in the US,” Danny said

Danny, who has been with Gong cha for almost a year now, mentioned that it has been a challenging year for the brand. One critical challenge that affected most of the industry is labour challenges.

“There seems to be a shortage in labour. Meanwhile, from the supply chain perspective, there have been a lot of congestion and disruptions in shipping,” Danny said.

To address this, Danny said they have worked closely with suppliers to make sure that they can source sustainably to not drive up the cost for consumers which would hurt the brand.

“Our goal is to deliver at least 5% returns to our franchisees and reduce operating costs. We also want to hit 330 store openings before the end of the year,” Danny said.