Jumbo opens maiden bak kut teh and chicken rice restaurants in Shanghai

SINGAPORE (Dec 16): Jumbo Group, the food and beverage (F&B) operator, has opened its first Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh and Xinyao Hainanese Chicken Rice restaurants in China.

Located at Shanghai One International Trade Centre (ITC), the Ng Ah Sio restaurant can seat up to 68 people, while Xinyao can seat up to 42 people. Both outlets will occupy 2,800 sq ft of space.

Shanghai One ITC is a mixed-use development in the Xujiahui commercial hub in Puxi. It is currently one of the largest sites in Shanghai’s city centre, combining four plots of land with an aggregate development area of 700,000 sqm. To be completed in phases, Shanghai One ITC will have grade-A offices, a premium retail mall and a luxury hotel, all with direct access to the Xujiahui metro station where five different lines converge.

In a Sunday press release, Jumbo says the opening of the group’s maiden Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh restaurant at Shanghai One ITC comes after the opening of its four similar restaurants in Taiwan in the span of 15 months.

"Together with its outlets in Singapore and Taiwan, the opening of the Shanghai outlet brings the total number of Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh restaurants in the region to nine," it adds.

Ang Kiam Meng, Executive Director and Group CEO, says, “Our Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh brand has been highly successful in Singapore and Taiwan... Both these outlets are strategically located within a new landmark building in Shanghai, and enjoy access to both office workers and shoppers alike. We certainly look forward to a warm reception for these Singapore heritage foods by both locals and tourists.”

Apart from Ng Ah Sio and Xinyao, the other brands in Jumbo's portfolio include Jumbo Seafood, Jumbo Kitchen, Zui Teochew Cuisine and Chao Ting.

The group has 38 F&B outlets in 15 cities across Asia, with a presence in Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Xi’an, Fuzhou, Taipei, Taichung, Hsinchu, Taoyuan, Seoul, Ilsan, Ho Chi Minh, Bangkok, Tokyo and Osaka.

Jumbo also provides catering services for customers in Singapore, and sells packaged sauces and spice mixes for some of its signature dishes in its outlets, selected stores, supermarkets, travel agencies and online via the Jumbo eShop.

Year to date, shares in Jumbo are down 3 cents at 37 cents, giving it a market cap of $240 million.