Singapore food chain Food Republic to exit Beijing after 25 years

Singaporean food court chain Food Republic is set to close its last outlet in Beijing on June 15, ending more than 25 years of operation in the city.

Located in The Malls at Oriental Plaza, one of Beijing’s best-known shopping complexes, the outlet was Food Republic’s first store in the city when it opened more than 25 years ago. The company did not give a reason for the closure in its notice posted outside the location, according to the South China Morning Post.

At its peak in 2016, Food Republic, owned by major food company BreadTalk Group, operated more than 40 outlets across mainland China, with locations in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing. After the Beijing outlet closes, only four will remain, all in Shanghai.

The closure comes as a growing number of foreign and Hong Kong brands shut stores across mainland China. Many have struggled to adjust to the local market, constrained by outdated business models and rapidly changing consumer preferences.

The shift has been visible in food and beverage, where domestic brands are rising rapidly. The Wall Street Journal reported that local ice-cream chain Mr. Wild Man has been expanding by offering fresh, locally made products at lower prices and with regional flavors, while Haagen-Dazs has closed more than 100 stores in China.

The report said Chinese consumers have become more value-conscious and less willing to pay a premium for foreign brands that are not clearly differentiated.

"[Food Republic’s] retreat highlights mounting challenges facing China’s food-court industry, which has come under pressure from changing consumer habits, the rapid growth of food-delivery platforms and shifting mall economics," said Fu Yifu, a special research fellow at Su Merchants Bank in China’s Nanjing City, as quoted by the South China Morning Post.

"Consumers are no longer simply looking for a place to eat," Fu said. "They care more about product quality, dining experiences and social interaction, while still expecting strong value for money."

The expansion of food-delivery services has further intensified competition, allowing consumers to access hundreds of restaurants through smartphone apps, often at discounted prices.

China’s online food-delivery market reached CNY2.29 trillion (US$338 billion) in 2025, up 24.5% from a year earlier, while the number of users increased to 630 million, according to the China E-commerce Research Center.

At the same time, shopping-center operators have faced pressure from the continued rise of e-commerce and a prolonged downturn in China’s property sector, factors that industry analysts said have weighed on foot traffic and leasing demand.

French department store Galeries Lafayette closed its Beijing outlet on May 27, leaving it with only two stores, in Shanghai and Shenzhen, as reported by AFP.

Other brands that have closed stores or exited the market in recent months include Hong Kong fashion retailer Lane Crawford, German lingerie maker Triumph, Swedish furniture retailer Ikea, U.S. fashion brand Guess and Japanese department stores Aeon and Ito-Yokado, according to reports by Jing Daily, Reuters and other media outlets.

"Shopping center operators are increasingly prioritizing experiential consumption for shoppers, especially for higher-end malls," said Sandy Lim, director at S&P Global Ratings.

"Many are taking a more hands-on approach to run their in-mall dining zones, instead of renting out large areas to third-party food court brands," Lim said.

She added that mall owners now prefer to curate their own tenant mix and favor dining brands that improve the overall customer experience.

Source: VnExpress