Taiwan's HWC Coffee vie for bigger Malaysian coffee shop market share vs. Old Town, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

Taiwan-based HWC Coffee will open 40 stores in Malaysia, including a flagship store, this year and launch in Brunei next month.

The flagship store, which will offer more premium coffee options than in other locations, will be put up in Kuala Lumpur, along with a coffee academy that will run barista training programs and specialty coffee experiences, says HWC Coffee Malaysia CEO Zenda Ng.

HWC Coffee now has 19 stores in Malaysia since opening its first store in the country last April in collaboration with the e-commerce platform Subplace.

Malaysia is an attractive market for coffee chains.

OldTown White Coffee plans to open 50 new locations in Malaysia this year, while The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf announced last October that it will open 80 stores in the country by 2024

In January, Perbadanan Nasional Berhad said it would open 16 Gloria Jean’s Coffee locations this year to expand franchise opportunities throughout Malaysia.