'We have always been open': Hui Lau Shan outlet at Nex refutes report of the chain's exit from Singapore

Fans of Hui Lau Shan may have been taken aback when a local lifestyle publication reported today (May 11) that the Hong Kong dessert chain had closed all its outlets in Singapore.

However, it appears to be a false alarm as the chain's Nex outlet was still up and running when AsiaOne visited today evening. 

The outlet's manager Stephen Chen, 37, refuted the report which stated it had closed last year, saying, "We have always been open." 

This is Hui Lau Shan's last remaining outlet in Singapore — its outlet in Jem closed some six months ago while its Chinatown Point outlet shuttered four months ago. 

The Hong Kong dessert chain had previously exited the Singapore market in 2005, but it made its comeback in January 2020 with its Nex outlet. 

Hui Lau Shan's Singapore outlets aren't the only ones that have been shuttering. In November last year, it was announced that the dessert chain had closed its last store in Hong Kong.

This was reportedly due to overzealous expansions and the effects of the pandemic on its business. 

Hui Lau Shan was established in the 1960s and was a family-run business that started out by selling traditional herbal jelly and tea via trolley in Yuen Long, Hong Kong. 

It eventually launched its first brick and mortar store in the 1970s and surged in popularity in 1992 after it created its famous mango sago dessert. 

In its heyday, the chain had over 300 outlets across Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China, Malaysia and Singapore. 

melissateo@asiaone.com