Los Angeles-based retailer and tea shop Alfred Tea is planning a major expansion in Asia.
There are two Alfred Tea shops in Los Angeles and two in Tokyo, recently opened in Barneys New York as a “different unique approach to the experience of shopping at Barneys”, according to executive VP of marketing and communications Tomm Miller.
“There’s a customer who comes to the store to spend hours and hours. This has an entertainment value. It’s another way to keep them in the store. The installation itself is a social moment”, she added.
The brand has released little detail about its Asian plans other than that it is seeking to open outposts in Hong Kong and Mainland China as a first step.

The New York Alfred tea shop features a distinctive look, decked in pink tiles and bearing the legend, “Tea, yes. You, maybe” in neon.
CEO Josh Zad said: “I realised we were doing a certain number of teas in the coffee shop. I created a footprint for a modern tea room. Tea has an image issue, so we dressed it up in pink tile from head to toe and neon. People realise it’s not stodgy.”

Inside Retail Hong Kong