Top 4 Tea Franchises in the UK

If you want to tap into one of the UK’s most popular and long-standing traditions, why not invest in a tea franchise? Here, we look at some of the options available to you – including some surprising ones!

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We drink a combined total of around 165 million cups of tea every single day in the UK. You don’t need to be a mathematician to see it’s an incredibly popular drink, and investing in a tea franchise could be a great way to launch a profitable business.

Why starting a tea franchise is a great idea

• Tea is one of our favourite drinks in the UK. Its incredible popularity ensures it stays at the forefront of drinkers’ minds and people turn to it hot or cold, happy or sad, busy or bored.
• Tea has a rich history in the UK. The first record of it is in Samuel Pepys’ 1660 diary, and there are now more than 200 different types of tea strainer listed in the European Patent Office. We even have a word for reading the patterns found in the bottom of our teacups: tasseography. Tea is ingrained in our culture, and its popularity is unlikely to dwindle any time soon.
• In recent years, consumers have become more adventurous with their tea tendencies, as supermarkets have increasingly started to stock herbal and fruit teas. On top of this, new businesses selling Asian bubble tea are starting to pop up across the UK. According to Mintel, in an average month, 37 percent of Brits aged between 25 and 34 indulge in five or six different types of tea at home or at work.
• There’s a growing interest in speciality teas as part of an ongoing ‘wellness’ trend. Young consumers are increasingly seeking out tea blends with relaxing, restorative qualities and healthier properties than the typical ‘white with one sugar’ brew. Businesses selling alternative tea drinks have the opportunity to expand their offering by experimenting with limitless plant and fruit combinations.

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>> Read more:

• Tea Store Franchises in the UK
• Tea Franchise Opportunities in the UK
• 6 Advantages of Running a Tea Franchise Unit

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Tea Franchise Opportunities

If you’re interested in starting a business in this constantly-evolving industry, here are some tea franchise opportunities for you to consider:

1. CREAMS British Luxury

This tea franchise offers a truly British affair – and what could be more British than a luxury tearoom? This company owns four stores across the UK and offers a unique dining experience, allowing customers a taste of life in the 1900s.

• Becoming a CREAMS British Luxury franchisee: You’ll offer customers a sophisticated dining experience with the chance to enjoy afternoon tea, cakes and patisserie options. Your business will be characterised by marble tables, crystal chandeliers and live music played on a grand piano. You’ll also be able to sells items to take away or gift to others, from macaroons, chocolate, tea and coffee, to cutlery and crockery.
• How much you need to invest: You should be willing to invest £100,000 - £120,000 when starting your business.
• What you get for your investment: The franchise will give you access to a training scheme, as well as a list of food suppliers, the CREAMS menu and a marketing pack with leaflets, posts and signage. You’ll also get an extensive manual detailing staff training, food preparation, rules, cleaning and best practices.

2. Beatons Tearooms

Investing in Beatons Tearooms gives you the chance to start your very own tea shop, complete with a library for visitors to peruse.

• Becoming a Beatons Tearooms franchisee: Once you’ve invested, you’ll offer customers loose leaf teas, regional coffee blends, homemade cakes and light meals throughout the day. The franchise is looking for entrepreneurs who are passionate about providing great personal service to customers.
• How much you need to invest: This tea shop franchise has a typical investment level of around £55,000, including the franchise fee and all the initial set-up costs. This means you’ll be able to get up and running on a relatively limited budget.
• What you get for your investment: You don’t need any experience in the catering or hospitality sectors to join Beatons Tearooms, as the franchise provides a comprehensive training package. It’ll also help you with site selection, if you don’t opt to take on one of the many great locations it’s already earmarked.

3. Mooboo

If you’re looking for something a little bit different, you could invest in a bubble tea franchise. The popularity of the Asian drink is growing rapidly here in the UK. It’s made by infusing a tea base with milk and fruit juices and adding the characteristic ‘bubbles’ – tapioca pearls that sit at the bottom.

Mooboo was established in 2012 and is now one of the UK’s leading bubble tea retailers, boasting a menu of more than 70 different teas. Customers can choose from savoury, fruit, milk and fresh teas, as well as mocktails and blended ice ‘smoothies’ in exotic flavours such as lychee, matcha, coconut and taro.

• Becoming a Mooboo franchisee: With a social media following of over 35,000, Mooboo represents a great opportunity for entrepreneurs who would like to break into the speciality tea sector.
• How much you need to invest: The initial cost of a Mooboo franchise is £39,950, which includes the franchise fee, license fee, start-up costs, inventory and training. Franchisees must also pay regular royalty fees and annual rent of £30,000.
• What you get for your investment: Mooboo provides comprehensive training for new franchisees. Its programme covers product knowledge, business operations, marketing and IT systems, and includes ongoing support and coaching to achieve maximum profit potential. If you follow the franchise’s guidelines, you can expect to make a yearly income of just under £80,000.

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>> Read more:

• Top 5 Coffee Shop Franchises in the UK
• New Survey Reveals Interesting Facts For Coffee Shop Franchisees.
• 10 Steps for Starting a Mobile Coffee Business
• Coffee Republic Franchise Opportunities in the UK
• Easy Coffee Franchise – What's Involved?

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4. Bubbleology

Here’s another bubble tea franchise seeing success in the UK.

Bubbleology was founded in 2011 and now has stores across the UK and US. The brand offers a menu of hot or cold flavoured fruit and milk bubble teas with chewy tapioca balls. Bubbleology is passionate, not only about the development of the brand, but about making a positive impact and giving to less fortunate communities. This means customers can feel good about their purchase, as the bubble tea franchise donates money to international programmes building wells in Africa.

• Becoming a Bubbleology franchisee: This franchise is looking for candidates with previous experience in the retail or restaurant industry, as well as commitment to its brand growth.
• How much you need to invest: Franchisees should be able to make an investment of £120,000.
• What you get for your investment: Franchisees can regularly visit the Bubbleology headquarters in London to boost their knowledge of the brand and benefit from established training schemes. Also, the franchise regularly analyses your business and provides performance reviews to make sure your store is always at the top of its game.

Get started today

You can find our current range of tea franchise opportunities under our selection of businesses in the drinks sector. You can sort the list by investment and popularity to find the right one for you.