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Business Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Despite economic uncertainty, heritage bakery Old Seng Choong heads to China
[SINGAPORE] The trade war may weaken China's growth – but Singapore confectionary brand Old Seng Choong still hopes to court consumers with its first overseas outlet there. Founder Daniel Tay acknowledged that US tariffs will likely reduce demand for China's exports, weakening its growth and dampening domestic consumption. Yet he is not giving up on the potential of the world's second-largest economy. 'With a population of 1.4 billion people, China is a big market we don't want to miss out on – especially if our products can do well there,' he told The Business Times. There are currently four Old Seng Choong stores in Singapore. By the end of this year, Tay hopes to open the brand's first China store in Shanghai. Like the Singapore stores, the China outlet will sell traditional cakes, cookies and pastries. But it will have a smaller menu, focusing on uniquely Singapore flavours such as coconut and hae bee hiam. It may also be rebranded, with a different Chinese name. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am SGSME Get updates on Singapore's SME community, along with profiles, news and tips. Sign Up Sign Up Tay hopes to eventually open 200 to 300 Old Seng Choong stores in China via a mix of franchising and joint ventures, though he has no definite timeline for this. 'We do believe that retail in China will be back. It's just a matter of when, as there is a lot of uncertainty now,' he said. One advantage is that Tay also owns food manufacturer Foodgnostic, which already has factories in China that will supply Old Seng Choong stores there. Founded in 2013, Foodgnostic is a contract manufacturer for pastry brands and franchises in Asia, including Singapore. Breaking into China A classically trained French pastry chef, Tay founded his first food and beverage venture in 1998 – patisserie-cafe chain Bakerzin. He sold the business in 2007, but continued managing it until 2013. The chain eventually closed in 2020. Tay sold patisserie-cafe chain Bakerzin in 2007, but continued to manage it until 2013. PHOTO: BT FILE In 2013, Tay switched his focus to newly founded Foodgnostic, and soon took the company overseas. Foodgnostic entered China in 2016, and set up factories in Shanghai and Chongqing in 2018. The initial days were challenging due to the competitive environment, he said. But in 2019, Foodgnostic achieved a breakthrough by securing its first client – China's biggest Western coffeehouse chain. This remains the company's biggest client across all markets, and accounts for the majority of the 7,000 stores that Foodgnostic supplies in China. With huge order volumes, this contract alone was sufficient to sustain the business for the first few years. Foodgnostic has been approached by other F&B brands in China that it had to reject because order volumes were too small for economies of scale. Foodgnostic's minimum order quantity per confectionery item in China is 100,000 to 200,000 pieces a month. Yet this single-client strategy was not sustainable in the long run. In 2023, Foodgnostic's growth there stagnated as Chinese spending weakened, noted Tay. Its client cut orders for a certain product, and instead ordered a wider range of products but at smaller volumes of each. With poorer economies of scale, Foodgnostic's manufacturing costs rose and profits fell. To counter this, Foodgnostic expanded its customer base in China. Over the past two years, the company has bagged contracts to supply cakes to e-commerce giant on-demand retail arm; a big restaurant chain in Guangzhou; and an online cake brand. It has also made inroads into Hong Kong, having partnered a dim sum restaurant chain in November 2024 to supply Chinese tarts and pastries to its 30 outlets. Today, about half of Foodgnostic's revenue comes from China. This is followed by Singapore at 40 per cent, with the rest from Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong. Besides China, it has two factories in Singapore and one in Johor Bahru. Expanding F&B retail brands Tay has diversified by growing his own F&B retail brands, which have their confectioneries manufactured by Foodgnostic. In 2014, he launched cheesecake brand Cat & the Fiddle as an online store. It now has six physical outlets in Singapore and exports to Malaysia, Indonesia, China and the United Arab Emirates. In 2016, Old Seng Choong was launched in homage to Tay's late father's now-defunct old-school bakery Seng Choong Confectionery. The four Old Seng Choong stores in Singapore include two in the transit lounges of Changi Airport's Terminal 2 and 4. A fifth store will open at Resorts World Sentosa in June, with Tay hoping to open two more in Terminal 1 and 3. The newest brand, launched in June 2024, is kiosk concept Madam Ang KK, which sells ang ku kueh in traditional and contemporary flavours. Madam Ang KK's kiosk in Paragon Shopping Centre. PHOTO: YEN MENG JIIN, BT These brands help to support Foodgnostic's business and ensure that the company does not only rely on external customers, explained Tay, adding: 'Even if our orders from these customers drop, our revenue won't fall as much.' Foodgnostic remains the biggest contributor of revenue – at 70 per cent – to parent group International Foodgnostic, with the rest coming from the three F&B brands. For FY2024, International Foodgnostic earned S$68 million in revenue, up 18 per cent from the year before. Group revenue is expected to hit S$100 million for FY2025, driven by Foodgnostic's growth in China, along with the expansion of Old Seng Choong and Madam Ang KK at home. Madam Ang KK has opened a third outlet at Parkway Parade, this time with a casual dine-in concept – expanding beyond ang ku kueh to include coffee and toast, as well as local favourites such as laksa and mee siam. There will always be demand for coffee and toast, which is a 'recession-proof' Singaporean staple, said Tay. 'People will always want coffee and toast even in a downturn, because their prices remain low.' While the brand's first two stores at Paragon Shopping Centre and Square 2 will remain as kiosks, Tay intends to open subsequent stores in the new format. He is aiming for a total of 50 Madam Ang KK outlets in Singapore over the next five years.
Malay Mail
13-05-2025
- Malay Mail
In Singapore, parents brawl after 8-0 youth win; post-match scuffle leaves one hurt, one arrested
SINGAPORE, May 13 — A 46-year-old man has been arrested for a 'rash act causing hurt' after a confrontation broke out following a youth football match, leaving a parent injured. According to The Straits Times (ST), the incident took place on the evening of May 11 outside Sengkang Secondary School, shortly after an Under-14 Singapore Youth League (SYL) match between Geylang International and Albirex Singapore Football Academy. Geylang won the game 8-0. Police said they received a call for assistance at 10 Compassvale Lane around 7.15pm. 'A 51-year-old man was conveyed conscious to the hospital. A 46-year-old man was arrested for rash act causing hurt. Police investigations are ongoing,' they added. The alleged victim, Daniel Tay, is the father of an Albirex player. He told ST that he was struck with a metal foldable chair after intervening in a verbal altercation between parents following the match. According to Tay, tensions rose after an Albirex parent approached the Geylang coach to say she had been insulted by players during the game. The coach apologised, but Tay said the woman was then taunted by some Geylang parents. He said he stepped in 'to be a good social citizen', but things escalated and he was later attacked outside the school. Tay sustained injuries to his left eye and cheekbone and sought treatment at Sengkang General Hospital. He lodged a police report after the incident. In a Facebook post, Albirex said: 'The club strongly condemns any aggressive actions against our players, coaches, parents and our supporters, and is committed to ensuring a safe environment for all... we will continue to support the affected parent, but will not be making further comments.' The SYL, in its statement, confirmed it had been 'alerted to an altercation between supporters' and said it is in contact with both clubs. 'We remind players and supporters to respect league rules and to abstain from unruly behaviour. Violence will not be tolerated... Disciplinary action will also be taken against such errant behaviour,' it said. Geylang International also responded. U-14 coach Dawood Anuar said both teams' players had exchanged insults during the match, which led to tensions off the pitch. 'I apologised to the Albirex parent but told her that my players also said they were insulted with some words about their mothers... Minutes later, I saw a commotion and an Albirex parent with a cut,' he was quoted as saying. Launched in 2024 under the Unleash The Roar! initiative, the SYL involves over 300 teams and aims to develop young footballers. Reflecting on the incident, Tay said, 'It just takes one or two bad apples to spoil the whole thing... But neither do I want to see them ban parents, because parents are the backbone of the SYL.' Under Singapore law, causing hurt through a rash act can lead to a jail term of up to a year and/or a fine of up to S$5,000 (RM16,600).
Straits Times
12-05-2025
- Straits Times
Man arrested for ‘rash act causing hurt' after Singapore Youth League match
Daniel Tay, parent of an Albirex Niigata youth footballer, sustained injuries to his left eye and cheekbone after the alleged assault on May 11. PHOTO: DANIEL TAY SINGAPORE – A 46-year-old man was arrested for a 'rash act causing hurt', after a parent of a youth footballer was allegedly hit by a chair following a match on May 11. The incident occurred just outside Sengkang Secondary School after an Under-14 Singapore Youth League (SYL) match between Geylang International and Albirex Singapore Football Academy, which Geylang won 8-0. Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the Police said on May 12 that it received a call for assistance at 10 Compassvale Lane on May 11 at about 7.15pm. 'A 51-year-old man was conveyed conscious to the hospital. A 46-year-old man was arrested for rash act causing hurt. Police investigations are ongoing', said the police statement. The SYL is an elite youth football competition, and it is an initiative under the Unleash The Roar! national football project jointly run by Sport Singapore and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS). Speaking to ST on May 12, the alleged victim Daniel Tay – who is in his 50s and the father of one of Albirex's players – said that the incident occurred after the match when a parent of a Geylang player allegedly attacked him with a metal foldable chair. According to Tay, a fellow parent of an Albirex player had approached the Geylang coach after the final whistle to raise concerns that she had been insulted by several Geylang players during the game. Tay said the coach apologised for his players' behaviour. However, as the parent walked away, she was reportedly taunted by a group of Geylang players' parents. Tay said he witnessed the exchange and stepped in 'to be a good social citizen,' reprimanding the group for 'harassing' the woman. At that point, tensions allegedly escalated, with the group shouting at him, though no physical altercation occurred then. He added that he walked out of the school with the match commissioner, and that was when he was allegedly struck by a metal foldable chair. Tay sustained injuries to his left eye and cheekbone, and required medical attention at Sengkang General Hospital. He made a police report immediately after the alleged assault. Albirex said in a statement on Facebook: 'The club strongly condemns any aggressive actions against our players, coaches, parents and our supporters, and is committed to ensuring a safe environment for all. As this matter is in the hands of the police, the club will continue to support the affected parent, but will not be making further comments at this time.' In a statement posted on its social media pages, the SYL said that it was alerted to an altercation between supporters after the match. The league added that it is in touch with both clubs and that investigations are ongoing. 'We remind players and supporters to respect league rules and to abstain from unruly behaviour. Violence will not be tolerated and we will not hesitate to report violent acts to the authorities. Disciplinary action will also be taken against such errant behaviour,' said its statement. Geylang also said in a statement on May 12 that they take such matters seriously The inaugural season of the SYL was held in 2024 and the latest campaign featuring more than 300 teams kicked off on Feb 8. The league caters to age groups from Under-eight to Under-17 and provides a competitive platform for young players – boys and girls – to showcase their talent and gain experience. Matches take place on weekends and comprise teams from FAS, private clubs and academies. Tay said that some parents can be vocal during matches and some may 'cross the line'. While he hopes that sufficient punishment will be handed out, he does not want to see parents banned from games. 'It just takes one or two bad apples to spoil the whole thing. I can't say it's a one-off, because it has been happening. But neither do I want to see them ban parents, because parents are the backbone of the SYL,' he said. Offenders convicted of causing hurt to any person by performing a rash act can be jailed for up to a year and/or fined up to $5,000. Deepanraj Ganesan is a sports journalist at The Straits Times focusing on football, athletics, combat sports and policy-related news. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
