Singapore emerges as key gateway to Southeast Asian market

Many Chinese companies are choosing Singapore as a key base for international expansion.

Singapore has solidified its role as a strategic gateway to the Southeast Asian market, attracting a growing number of Chinese brands, particularly in the food and beverage (F&B) sector, according to Savills Research.

“Owing to the high spending power and a growing Chinese community, many have chosen Singapore as their testing ground for expanding overseas,” the report said.

“Singapore has, in turn, become an important stopover for establishing and building their international presence,” it added.

The trend has accelerated since 2022, as the F&B sector rebounded from pandemic-induced slowdowns. Notable Chinese hotpot chains, as well as mala xiang guo and mala tang brands, have made significant inroads into Singapore’s dining scene.

“While the local scene sees a new wave of restaurants specialising in Chinese-style grilled fish and sauerkraut fish, Chinese brands are also adding vibrancy to Singapore’s saturated beverage market,” it added.

Singapore's beverage market has also seen increased vibrancy with the entry of several Chinese coffee and tea brands. Noteworthy newcomers include Heytea, Mixue, ChaGee, and Luckin Coffee, all of which have rapidly expanded their presence in the local market.

Follow the link for more news on

Savills

A NOTE FROM SINGAPORE BUSINESS REVIEW

Reaching the people who run Asia's businesses is harder than it used to be.

Inboxes are crowded. Attention is short. The executives you most want to reach — the founders, CFOs, and operators who actually move budgets — are the hardest to find through the usual channels. If you're building a company, a category, or a reputation, you already know this.

We've spent twenty years building the room they read. Singapore Business Review is where senior decision makers in Singapore and across Southeast Asia come for business coverage they can't get elsewhere — in print, online, and in person at the summits and roundtables we host across seven markets.

If you have something these readers should know about — a point of view worth publishing, a product worth their attention, an event worth their time — we'd like to hear what you're trying to do.

Book a meeting

| Or download the media kit (PDF)

240,000 senior readers quarterly in print Top 1,700 Singapore companies reached

7 markets across Southeast Asia