Tim Hortons currently operates 980 stores across five East Asian markets | Photo credit: Conor Samuel

Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons will open its first stores in Malaysia next month in partnership with Singapore-based Marubeni Growth Capital Asia.
 

While the exact launch dates and locations have yet to be disclosed, Tim Hortons confirmed it will open two stores in Kuala Lumpur and is seeking to open 100 outlets in the Southeast Asian market by the end of 2025. 

The move will build upon Tim Hortons’ relationship with Marubeni Growth Capital Asia – a subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Marubeni Corporation – which launched the coffee chain in Singapore in November 2023 and is preparing to open stores in Indonesia. 

Tim Hortons currently operates more than 5,800 stores globally, including 903 sites in China and a further 78 across the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea – where it debuted with a store in Seoul in December 2023. 

A flurry of international coffee chains have entered Malaysia over the last 18 months, keen to tap into high consumer demand for out-of-home coffee and replicate the rapid outlet growth of domestic operators, including ZUS Coffee, Tealive and Gigi Coffee. 

Luckin Coffee and Ediya Coffee – the largest coffee chains in China and South Korea respectively – are the latest to announce plans to launch in Malaysia, following UK-based EL&N, boutique operator Café Kitsuné, Indonesia’s Tanamera Coffee and Moroccan heritage brand Bacha Coffee which have all entered the market over the last 12 months. 

The total Malaysian branded coffee shop market comprises approximately 3,400 outlets, led by bubble tea chain Tealive and ZUS Coffee with 800 and 495 stores respectively. World Coffee Portal’s Project Café East Asia 2024 report forecasts the market will reach 6,100 outlets by the end of 2028.