BenihNo. 3 Ground Truth
The Chatime name was the part Tealive could afford to lose.
When Chatime ended its deal, Loob renamed 161 outlets in two months.
In 2016, Chatime's Taiwanese owner ended its franchise agreement with Loob Holding, which ran Chatime in Malaysia. The dispute was over ingredients and royalties.
Two months later, on 17 February 2017, Loob launched Tealive. It rebranded 161 outlets for under RM10 million. The staff, locations and suppliers stayed the same, and so did the customers.
As we read it, customers kept coming for the drink, the location and the staff behind the counter. What changed was the name on the outlets.
By September 2022, Tealive had 800 outlets in Malaysia, up from 161 at launch. By early 2026 it ran more than 950 across Malaysia and other countries.
Look at what your regular customers do over and over: what they order, when they come, which outlet they use. That shows what you can change and what you need to keep.