Malaysian coffee chain ZUS Coffee plans to open nearly 200 new stores across Southeast Asia in 2025, as reported by Bloomberg.
ZUS became Malaysia’s largest coffee chain within five years of its launch in November 2019.
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Chief operating officer Venon Tian states that the brand will launch 80 new outlets in the Philippines and six new locations in Singapore, along with its inaugural stores in Thailand and Indonesia in 2025.
ZUS has taken the place of Starbucks as Malaysia’s largest coffee chain, with 743 stores compared to Starbucks’ 320.
ZUS currently operates around 120 stores in the Philippines, supported by an investment from Filipino billionaire Frank Lao, and four in Singapore.
The brand also has a presence in Brunei, operating under a franchise model.
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By GlobalDataIn September 2024, ZUS Coffee raised RM250m ($57.5m), which facilitated its expansion into Singapore and Brunei.
Tian attributes ZUS Coffee’s success to its market-specific offerings, such as palm sugar-flavoured drinks in Malaysia and purple yam-flavoured coffee in the Philippines.
He added that “Covid accelerated our business model,” noting how the pandemic boosted a technology-focused approach.
With approximately 70% of sales conducted online through deliveries and pickups, ZUS Coffee’s strategy, along with the cost-effective construction of its physical stores, allows it to offer coffee at prices 20% cheaper than competitors.
Tian added: “You’ve got the convenience store, which sells your coffee at five ringgit and below. Then you have premium mass coffee selling at 11 ringgit and above.
“So ZUS positioned itself between that price point. It’s about how we make quality coffee accessible to most people.”
