Bubble CiTea
Bubble CiTea (Bubble City Ltd) is a UK-based bubble tea retailer operating 45+ franchised and company-owned stores across England, Scotland, and Wales, serving Gen Z and Millennial consumers with customisable drinks, a 245k+ user loyalty app, and multi-channel delivery partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersPortsmouth, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Bubble CiTea does
Bubble CiTea (legal entity Bubble City Ltd) is a UK-based bubble tea retailer operating 45+ stores across England, Scotland, and Wales under a hybrid franchise and company-owned model. Founded by Suneet "Sunny" Sachdeva in 2013 and headquartered in Portsmouth, the company serves primarily Gen Z and Millennial consumers with a menu of milk teas, fruit teas, coffee drinks, and customisable toppings, alongside seasonal collaborations with character IP such as Minions and Miffy. The offering is anchored on authentic Taiwanese bubble tea heritage adapted for UK tastes, with most drinks vegan-friendly and alternative milk options available.
The company operates an integrated technology platform comprising Square-powered POS, self-serve kiosks, a 245k+ user loyalty mobile app (stamp-based rewards with birthday perks and free drink redemptions), Click & Collect ordering, gift cards, and an e-commerce merchandise shop. Distribution is multi-channel: 45+ franchised and company-owned stores in shopping centres and high streets, three third-party delivery aggregators (Deliveroo, UberEats, Just Eat), and a proprietary online ordering system.
Revenue is generated through retail drink sales (typical price £4.60-£5.60 regular / £5.10-£6.10 large), franchise fees from single-site and multi-site development agreements (capital requirements £0-£200k+), delivery commissions, gift card sales, and merchandise. The business has scaled through franchise partnerships and brand collaborations (40+ co-branded experiences), winning four major 2024 industry awards including Titan Gold for Achievement in Growth, Gold Stevie for Business Excellence, and Globee Gold for Best Use of Technology.
Bubble CiTea firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bubble CiTea
- Legal name
- Bubble City Ltd
- Website
- https://bubblecitea.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Bubble CiTea (Bubble City Ltd) is a UK-based bubble tea retailer operating 45+ franchised and company-owned stores across England, Scotland, and Wales, serving Gen Z and Millennial consumers with customisable drinks, a 245k+ user loyalty app, and multi-channel delivery partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bubble CiTea industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Beverage Retail
- NAICS
- Specialty Food Retailers (4452)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bubble Tea (Boba) Shops (THAFAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)
Keywords
Where Bubble CiTea is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portsmouth
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bubble CiTea business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Retail Drink Sales: Primary revenue from in-store beverage sales across franchise and company-owned locations. Drinks are handmade to order with customisation options.
- Third-Party Delivery: Revenue from orders placed through Deliveroo and UberEats platforms
- Franchise Fees: Revenue from franchise partners through single-site and multi-site development agreements with capital requirements ranging from £0-£200k+
- Merchandise and Online Sales: Online shop sales including merchandise items with shipping to UK only
- Gift Cards: Square-powered gift card programme redeemable at any UK Bubble CiTea store, valid for 12 months
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Drink Pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Toppings Add-ons |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Seasonal/Special Drinks |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Loyalty Programme - Free Drink Reward |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Miffy & Friends Combo Offers |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Student Discount |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Bubble CiTea product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bubble CiTea retails handmade-to-order bubble tea beverages across 45+ franchised and company-owned stores in the UK, offering fruit teas, milk teas, coffee variants, customisable toppings, and seasonal collaboration drinks. The brand also sells gift cards, branded merchandise, and operates a Click & Collect ordering service, complemented by a stamp-based loyalty mobile app and delivery partnerships with Deliveroo, UberEats, and Just Eat.
Product overview
Bubble CiTea is a UK-based bubble tea retailer operating a network of over 40 stores across England, Scotland, and Wales. The offering consists of the core Bubble CiTea drinks business with a comprehensive menu spanning Specials (seasonal/collaboration drinks), Fruit Teas (10 varieties), Milk Teas & Coffee (14 varieties), and Toppings (tapioca, popping bubbles, jelly chunks). Supporting products include a loyalty app (245k+ users) with stamp-based rewards, franchise programme, Click & Collect service, gift cards, and merchandise including reusable cups. The brand integrates technology through POS systems, self-serve kiosks, and third-party delivery platforms (Deliveroo, UberEats, Just Eat).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bubble CiTea Core Drinks Menu Fresh bubble tea beverages including milk teas, fruit teas, and special seasonal offerings served at all retail locations across the UK. The core menu includes Specials, Fruit Teas, Milk Teas & Coffee, and Toppings.
- Fruit Teas Tea-based drinks made with jasmine green tea base combined with fruit syrups, featuring 10 varieties: Mango, Passionfruit, White Peach, Strawberry, Green Apple, Guava, Lychee, Pineapple, Blueberry, and Kiwi.
- Milk Teas & Coffee Milk-based tea beverages and coffee drinks, including 14 varieties: Dirty variants (Dirty Milk, Dirty Latte, Dirty Frappe, Dirty Pistachio), Taro, Matcha, CiTea, Jasmine CiTea, Vanilla, Chocolate, Honeydew, Coconut, Watermelon, and Pistachio Frappé.
- Toppings Customisation add-ons including traditional toppings (tapioca pearls - 80 Kcal), popping bubbles in various flavours (rainbow, mango, passionfruit, strawberry, apple, lychee, raspberry, blueberry, pineapple at 70 Kcal each), and jelly chunks (rainbow, strawberry, apple, lychee, grape). Priced at 60p per scoop or £1 for rainbow varieties.
- Specials Menu (seasonal/collaboration drinks) Limited-time and seasonal drink offerings including themed collaborations such as Minions & Monsters drinks (James' Banana Dream, Irene's Tropical Slushy, Goomi's Magic Brew) and character collaborations like Miffy & Friends.
- Franchise Programme
Quantifiable outcome
- One of UK's fastest-growing bubble tea brands with 45+ store locations
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Bubble CiTea
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Bubble CiTea technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature3 records
Bubble CiTea partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- 40+ Brand Partners (Co-branded)coreBubble CiTea has partnered with over 40 brands to deliver exciting co-branded experiences and unique promotions, supporting their marketing and brand expansion strategy.
- Naomi HouseminorCharitable partnership supporting Naomi House children's hospice
- Breakthrough TraumaminorCharitable partnership supporting trauma breakthrough programmes
- Winchelsea SchoolminorEducational institution community partnership through Friends of Winchelsea School
- Notts SportminorSports development community partnership
- Help for HeroesminorArmed forces charity partnership
- Acorns Children's HospiceminorChildren's hospice charitable partnership
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Bubble CiTea competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bubbleology: One of the original UK bubble tea chains operating stores across the UK and US. Directly comparable to Bubble CiTea in product category (bubble tea), target demographic (Gen Z/Millennials), and UK high-street retail format.
- Chatime: Global Taiwanese-origin bubble tea franchise with a substantial UK store base. Direct competitor offering similar customizable milk teas, fruit teas, and toppings in comparable retail formats targeting the same demographic.
- Gong Cha: Major Taiwanese bubble tea franchise with UK operations. Competes directly on product (bubble tea, milk tea, fruit tea), customization, and high-street/mall store formats.
- CoCo Bubble Tea: Global bubble tea chain with UK franchise presence. Offers directly comparable milk teas, fruit teas, and toppings in retail store formats targeting similar UK Gen Z and Millennial consumers.
- Mooboo: UK-based bubble tea chain competing directly in the same high-street and shopping-centre locations. Closely comparable on menu structure, target demographic, and store footprint.
- T4 (Tea Four): Taiwanese-origin bubble tea and Asian beverage chain operating UK locations. Directly comparable product offering including milk teas, fruit teas, and customizable toppings in similar retail formats.
- Tiger Sugar: Taiwanese bubble tea brand famous for brown sugar boba, with growing UK presence. Competes directly in the premium bubble tea category with overlapping menu items and target consumer base.
Emerging players
- Mixue: China-based value-priced bubble tea and ice cream chain that has begun aggressive international expansion including the UK. Represents a price-led competitive threat in the same category with significantly larger scale and supply-chain advantages.
Broad incumbents
- Starbucks: Global beverage and café incumbent with extensive UK presence. Indirectly comparable as a competing destination for premium, customizable, social beverages and third-place retail locations.
- Costa Coffee: UK-headquartered coffee and beverage chain with national high-street presence. Competes for similar customer occasions (grab-and-go, loyalty-driven beverage purchases) but with broader menu and breakfast/snack offerings.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Bubble CiTea social profiles
Digital presenceBubble CiTea compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Bubble CiTea financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bubble CiTea leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Bubble CiTea funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bubble CiTea M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bubble CiTea
What does Bubble CiTea do?
Bubble CiTea retails handmade-to-order bubble tea beverages across 45+ franchised and company-owned stores in the UK, offering fruit teas, milk teas, coffee variants, customisable toppings, and seasonal collaboration drinks. The brand also sells gift cards, branded merchandise, and operates a Click & Collect ordering service, complemented by a stamp-based loyalty mobile app and delivery partnerships with Deliveroo, UberEats, and Just Eat.
Is Bubble CiTea a public or private company?
Bubble CiTea is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bubble CiTea founded?
Bubble CiTea was founded in 2013. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Bubble CiTea based?
Bubble CiTea is headquartered in Portsmouth, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Bubble CiTea make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Retail Drink Sales are the primary driver. The others are third-Party Delivery, franchise Fees, merchandise and Online Sales and gift Cards.
Who are Bubble CiTea's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bubbleology, Chatime, Gong Cha, CoCo Bubble Tea, Mooboo, T4 (Tea Four) and Tiger Sugar. Mixue is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Starbucks and Costa Coffee.
Does Bubble CiTea have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bubble CiTea.
What industry is Bubble CiTea in?
Bubble CiTea's product category is Specialty Beverage Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAKAC, Bubble Tea (Boba) Shops, with a secondary code of CRAHAGAI, Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories). Its NAICS code is 4452 and its SIC code is 5810.