Loob Holding's Happy Potato expands into four new markets

Loob Holding's Malaysian shaker fries chain Happy Potato has expanded into four new international markets within six months, marking its fastest growth since the brand was founded seven years ago.

The homegrown brand has entered China, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Cambodia, bringing its network to 126 outlets across five countries. The expansion includes 117 outlets in Malaysia, alongside three in Bangladesh, two each in Indonesia and China, and two in Cambodia.

Happy Potato's international push began with its entry into Bangladesh and Indonesia in February this year. It expanded into China in May, opening a second outlet there the following month, before launching in Cambodia this July while adding a third Bangladesh outlet.

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According to the company, the overseas expansion follows a period of rapid domestic growth. After opening its first directly operated outlet in Peninsular Malaysia in October 2023, Happy Potato added 98 outlets between 2024 and 2025, nearly doubling its Malaysian footprint over the past six months.

Alongside its regional expansion, Happy Potato has also rolled out new customer activations in Malaysia. In partnership with McCain Foods, the brand celebrated its seventh anniversary and World Fries Day on 13 July with an "Unlimited free flow shaker fries" promotion at Sunway Square Mall in Bandar Sunway.

The company is also running its "Happy shake" campaign until 8 September across all Malaysian outlets. The campaign invites customers to shake and season their own fries and includes a lucky draw and social media challenge offering weekly and grand prizes.

Edmund Lim, CEO and co-founder of Happy Potato, said the pace of expansion was underpinned by years of refining the company's franchise model, operational systems and brand positioning before taking the business overseas.

"Opening an outlet is only one part of expansion. The bigger challenge is making sure customers receive the same experience, product quality and service standards regardless of where they visit us. That requires the right operating systems, franchise support and local partners," he said. 

Lim added, "The past six months have allowed us to put those systems into practice across different markets. Every country operates differently, so each opening has strengthened our understanding of how to scale the business while staying consistent with what customers expect from Happy Potato."

He said Happy Potato's ambitions extend well beyond its current footprint, with the company targeting 200 outlets nationwide by 2028 while pursuing further expansion across Asia. Lim added that the brand is looking to enter another three to five markets as part of its regional growth strategy.

In tandem, Colleen Phang, director and co-founder of Happy Potato said, "When our dream first started in Suria Sabah, our focus was simply on serving great fries. Today, we're working with franchise partners across five countries, but our priorities remain the same. Every outlet should deliver the same quality, consistency and customer experience that people associate with Happy Potato.”

"We're grateful to our customers, franchisees and business partners who have grown with us over the past seven years. Their support has allowed us to reach markets we never imagined in our early days, and we're excited about what comes next," she added.

Phang said maintaining consistent fry quality has always been central to Happy Potato's brand promise, noting that French fries are among the most temperature-sensitive products in the food and beverage industry.

She explained that the brand works with McCain Foods, using fries with a specially engineered crispy coating that helps retain crispiness for longer while preserving a fluffy interior and fresh potato taste. According to Colleen, the partnership enables Happy Potato to deliver a consistent product across all of its outlets, while ensuring customers enjoy crispy fries even after takeaway or delivery.

The expansion comes as Loob Holding continues to broaden its food and beverage portfolio through new product collaborations. Earlier this year, Dutch Lady and Tealive partnered to launch a ready-to-drink dairy milk tea range in Malaysia, tapping into growing demand for convenient, café-style beverages.

The collaboration introduced two SKUs – MooTea, a signature milk tea, and MeowCha, a signature matcha drink – combining Tealive's café beverage expertise with Dutch Lady's dairy heritage. Positioned as a source of calcium and protein, the ready-to-drink range aims to bring café-inspired flavours into everyday consumption occasions.

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