Trouble brewing for Flash Coffee? Company quits Singapore, but vows to maintain operations in Hong Kong
- Flash Coffee says company has shut down stores in Singapore, days after online video shows branch in city state closed and notice announcing staff strike
- ‘We would also like to emphasise that our recent operational changes do not impact our presence in Hong Kong,’ company spokesman adds
Asian beverage chain Flash Coffee on Saturday assured Hong Kong customers its operations in the city remained unaffected after the company abruptly shut down all of its Singaporean outlets earlier in the week.
Videos that began circulating on social media on Thursday show one of the company’s branches in the city state had closed down, with a sign outside attributing the move to staff going on strike over “late salary payouts”.
The company told the Post on Saturday it had shut down stores in Singapore to “double down on [its] most promising markets” and pledged to maintain a presence in Hong Kong.
“We would also like to emphasise that our recent operational changes do not impact our presence in Hong Kong,” a spokesman said. “In fact, we are committed to further investing and expanding in this vibrant market.”
According to some Singaporean media outlets, the coffee chain could no longer operate in the city state due to “liabilities” and had filed to voluntarily wind up its business there as it underwent provisional liquidation.
The company spokesman on Saturday insisted staff in Singapore were not on strike and said baristas were no longer working at any of the 11 branches in the city state as the stores had ceased operations.
Flash Coffee came to Hong Kong in 2021 and has 17 outlets citywide.