A small space with big ambitions: Swanston Street ATM transforms into popular Malaysian bubble tea store, Tealive
From cash dispenser to cashless store, the new location will be the brand’s smallest in the world.
Today, a converted ATM opposite the State Library has opened as a cashless quick service restaurant (QSR), Tealive, expected to dish out approximately 500 to 800 bubble teas per day.
With 500 stores internationally, this new Tealive location will be unlike any other. Occupying a mere 2.2 x 2-metre space, permitting only two staff members to work at any one time, it’s the smallest Tealive location to date and potentially the smallest QSR in Australia.
South-East Asia’s largest tea brand, Tealive has recognised the move towards a cashless society and embraced the opportunity it creates by repurposing the spaces occupied by ATMs.
Bryan Loo, one of Asia’s most prominent young entrepreneurs and the founder of Tealive, is excited about the possibilities that this new concept store could bring.
“Tealive has many formats and when we saw the opportunity that this location offered, we wanted to rise to the challenge and see if such a small space could work. If we can prove this concept successful, it opens the doors for great cost-efficient locations across Australia and internationally,” says Loo.
Despite challenges brought on by the tiny location, Tealive are committed to making it work as it creates opportunity for innovation and expansion.
Shane Francis, CEO of Tealive Australia, says “We’ve had to be innovative. The reality is as we enter a more cashless society, ATMs are going to need to be repurposed and this creates a huge opportunity if we can make this location work. We’ve had to figure out how to serve customers a quality and timely beverage in a seriously limited space and it is our mission for this site to succeed.”
With retail spaces along coveted Swanston Street in high demand and even higher cost, Tealive jumped at this unique location that would land them in the epicenter of Melbourne’s thriving international student community.
To ensure quality isn’t compromised, the site will offer a smaller menu of only their best top-selling Tealive bubble teas.
As South-East Asia’s largest tea brand, Tealive recognises their responsibility to minimise environmental impact and offers an eco-retail series, ditching plastic straws for paper, selling reusable glass tumblers with metal straws, and bringing forward Malaysia’s first strawless reusable bubble tea cup.
The new Tealive store is located at 335-339 Swanston Street, Melbourne. Watch this tiny space!
For further information, please visit https://www.tealive.com.my/
