KUCHING, Dec 7 — Miri Coffee Shop Association chairman Lau Tin Sing said association members will increase the price of their beverages next year following rising operating costs.
“We are looking at the possibility of increasing the price of coffee (and other beverages) early next year or even in January. But at this juncture we could not give the price range of the increment,” Lau told The Borneo Post.
“As to how many per cent increase we wouldn’t know because we have to monitor the price increment,” he said, adding that the association will only be able to reveal the increment in due course.
The last time prices of beverages in coffeeshops in Miri were revised and increased was in 2017, he said.
They had maintained the price for the last four years, despite there being increment of prices in the ingredients.
The coffeeshops chose to absorb increments of the ingredients instead, Lau explained.
The Borneo Post has yet to receive responses from the association’s counterparts in Kuching and Sibu.
A news report in Kuala Lumpur said various associations representing coffeeshops nationwide are expected to increase the price of their beverages by 20 to 60 sen more depending on locations in the new year because of rising operating costs.
Another factor would be premises rental – the higher the rent, the higher the increase.
The associations argued that the new prices were to help coffeeshop owners to manage their rising operation costs and claimed they would not profit much from the price adjustment.
Recently, many things have become more expensive — from condensed milk and evaporated milk needed to make coffee or tea, to the salaries of employees, rent and cooking gas, the reports said. — Borneo Post
