Dairy Queen to make Hong Kong comeback with 4 stores. Is it scooping up cheap rents?
American ice-cream chain says flagship store to open in Causeway Bay in November, followed by three other outlets across city
American ice cream chain Dairy Queen will open four Hong Kong outlets in the fourth quarter of this year, as part of an ambitious expansion plan amid the widespread closure of food and retail shops.
Dairy Queen, an 85-year-old brand, said on Friday that it would launch its flagship store at the One Causeway Bay shopping centre on Hong Kong Island in November, followed by three other outlets in Kowloon, the New Territories and the outlying islands before the end of the year.
“Following Causeway Bay, the Kwun Tong store in Kowloon is already under hoarding,” the company said. “A total of four stores are set to open this quarter, strategically covering Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the New Territories and the outlying islands.”
The Kwun Tong store is located in The Angle shopping centre. The coming stores mark the brand’s return to Hong Kong after a short-lived opening in Causeway Bay in 1979.
The company said it had a fresh store concept tailored for Hong Kong, featuring five product lines, including milkshakes, parfaits and uniquely designed ice cream cakes.
It said the city’s products would include its signature soft-serve dessert, which it described as “thick enough to hold when the cup is turned upside down” and made with an exclusive full-fat dairy mix and an air overrun of about 40 per cent to maintain texture.
Edwin Lee Kan-hing, founder and chief executive of Bridgeway Prime Shop Fund Management, said Dairy Queen’s entry into the market comes after a sharp fall in retail rents and shop values, creating lower entry costs for foreign brands even as legacy merchants using older business models continue to shut down.
