CHATIME UK LTD

What CHATIME UK LTD does

Chatime UK Ltd (operating under the legal entity P.W. Trading Ltd.) is a UK-based franchise operator of the global Chatime bubble tea brand. The company runs seven retail stores located in shopping centres across England and serves consumer customers seeking specialty milk teas, fruit teas, and signature drinks with tapioca or popping toppings. The UK headquarters is at Unit 6, 12 Pepper Street, London (E14 9RP), with a small corporate team of one to ten employees supporting franchisees.

The core product offering is a proprietary menu of bubble tea beverages prepared to standardised recipes supplied by the global Chatime parent, including milk teas, fruit teas, and specialty drinks at menu price points visible on the company website. The technology stack supporting the business is modest: a proprietary mobile application provides online ordering and a loyalty rewards programme, while in-store operations rely on standard point-of-sale systems used by franchisees. There is no evidence of proprietary technology investment beyond the consumer-facing app.

The business model is a capital-light franchise structure: the UK operator generates revenue through a combination of franchise fees paid by store owners, direct beverage sales at corporate-controlled locations, and royalties tied to franchisee turnover. Customer acquisition is driven by footfall in shopping centre locations, supplemented by the mobile app's ordering and loyalty functionality. The parent global brand, with over 3,000 stores worldwide, provides brand equity and supply chain standardisation that the small UK team can leverage without bearing the full cost of brand-building.

Name

CHATIME UK LTD

Legal name

P.W. Trading Ltd.

Website

https://chatimeuk.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Chatime UK Ltd operates a seven-store franchise network of Chatime-branded bubble tea shops in shopping centres across England, selling specialty milk teas, fruit teas, and toppings under a global brand of 3,000+ stores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Beverage Retail

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Bubble Tea (Boba) Shops (THAFAKAC)

Keywords

• Bubble tea retail
• Specialty tea beverages
• Tapioca pearl drinks
• Franchise tea shops
• Mobile loyalty ordering

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Beverage Sales: Retail sales of freshly prepared bubble tea and other beverages at physical store locations across England, with menu items ranging from £2.95 to £4.90
2. Loyalty Programme: Points earned with every purchase through the Chatime app, unlockable exclusive rewards and app-only promotions
3. Franchise Fees: Franchise partnership model where franchisees pay for the right to operate Chatime stores with exclusive territory rights, training, and ongoing support

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Chatime UK operates a network of 7 physical retail stores across England selling freshly brewed bubble tea and specialty tea-based beverages, with menu prices ranging from £2.95 to £4.90. The company complements in-store retail with a proprietary mobile app for order-ahead functionality, loyalty point accumulation, and app-exclusive promotions, and operates a franchise programme offering exclusive territory rights to prospective operators.

Product overview

Chatime UK is a premium bubble tea retailer operating a portfolio of 7 stores across England. The core offering consists of freshly brewed bubble tea beverages across multiple product lines: Classic Milk Tea and signature drinks (Brown Sugar Roasted Milk Tea, Matcha Latte), Fruit Tea range (Mango, Passion Fruit, Lychee), seasonal offerings (Pineapple, Strawberry, Grapefruit, Rose), and coffee/cold brew beverages. The company complements its beverage portfolio with a toppings and upgrades system (Pearls, various jellies, popping pearls, dairy alternatives) and a proprietary mobile app offering order-ahead, loyalty points, and exclusive rewards. Chatime also operates a franchise programme enabling third-party operators to open Chatime stores under exclusive territory rights with full operational support including POS systems, training, and supply chain management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chatime Bubble Tea Menu Freshly brewed bubble tea and specialty tea-based beverages across multiple product lines (Classic Milk Tea, Signature Chatime, Fruit Tea, Seasonal, Brown Sugar Bestseller, Premium Matcha, Coffee, Cold Brew, Slush), made to order with premium ingredients and hand-cooked tapioca pearls. Sold to individual consumers at 7 retail locations across England.
• Chatime Mobile App Mobile application available on iOS and Android that enables order-ahead functionality to skip queues, loyalty point accumulation with every purchase, unlockable exclusive rewards, and access to app-only deals and promotions including £2 off first order.
• Chatime UK Franchise Programme Franchise opportunity offering prospective franchisees exclusive territory rights to operate Chatime stores under the brand's proven business model. Package includes store design and fit-out guidance, comprehensive training, proprietary recipes and ingredients, marketing and brand support, ongoing operational assistance, supply chain management, and POS and technology systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3000+ stores globally across 38 countries
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Gong Cha UK: Gong Cha is one of the world's largest bubble tea franchises, with UK stores selling freshly brewed bubble tea and tea-based drinks at similar price points. It competes head-to-head with Chatime UK for franchisees, retail locations, and the same Gen Z / millennial consumer base in UK shopping centres.
• CoCo Bubble Tea: CoCo is a global bubble tea chain with UK locations offering freshly prepared milk teas, fruit teas, and toppings on a similar unit-pricing model. It directly competes with Chatime UK in product range, price band, and shopping-centre real estate strategy.
• Bubbleology: Bubbleology is a UK-headquartered bubble tea chain operating storefronts in London and other cities with a similar freshly brewed, customisable menu. It is one of Chatime UK's most direct UK-based competitors and a useful benchmark on store-level economics and brand positioning.
• Tiger Sugar UK: Tiger Sugar is a Taiwan-origin bubble tea brand that has expanded into UK high streets with signature brown sugar boba drinks, directly overlapping with Chatime UK's bestseller Brown Sugar Pearls range and competing for similar shopping-centre locations.
• Xing Fu Tang UK: Xing Fu Tang is a Taiwanese hand-crafted bubble tea chain with UK storefronts selling freshly cooked tapioca and premium teas. It mirrors Chatime UK's fresh-preparation, premium-positioning model and competes for the same customers and franchisee talent.
• Koi Thé UK: Koi Thé is a Taiwanese bubble tea chain operating UK locations with a comparable menu of milk teas, fruit teas, and signature toppings at similar price points. It is a direct comparably positioned rival in the premium bubble tea segment.
• Happy Lemon UK: Happy Lemon is a global bubble tea and lemon tea chain with UK stores offering fresh tea, fruit teas, and signature drinks. It competes with Chatime UK on price, format (mall-based kiosks and stores), and consumer demographics.

Emerging players

• Tealive UK: Tealive is a Southeast Asian-origin bubble tea and lifestyle beverage brand expanding into the UK with a comparable franchise-led model. It is an emerging peer whose trajectory could either compete with or validate Chatime UK's franchise roll-out thesis.

Broad incumbents

• Costa Coffee: Costa is the UK's largest specialty coffee chain with thousands of high-street and shopping-centre stores selling hot/cold beverages at overlapping price points. It is a broad incumbent in UK beverage retail that competes for the same shopping-centre catchment and impulse-beverage occasions, even though its core product is coffee.
• Starbucks UK: Starbucks operates a dense UK store network in shopping centres and high streets with a broad beverage menu including tea, cold drinks, and loyalty app. As a broad incumbent it competes with Chatime UK for beverage occasions, retail locations, and the loyalty-app engagement layer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CHATIME UK LTD