“'We waited and waited': Jollibean staff allege unpaid wages, CPF contributions amid sudden outlet closures”, 10 July 2025

Several outlets of soy milk retailer Jollibean have shut in the past year, with its workers claiming that they have been owed months of salaries and Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions.

Once a household name with more than 30 outlets spanning the island, there are only five physical Jollibean outlets still operating.

Asked about his workers' unpaid salaries, the director of Jollibean Foods Shahrul Nazrin Mohd Dahlan told CNA that the company has a new owner and is working closely with the authorities to resolve salary issues by the end of the month.

Mr Shahrul Nazrin, who is still listed in public business records as the company's director, indicated that the closure of an outlet was part of a downsizing exercise, but did not say why the company did not pay its workers on time.

Speaking to CNA, past staff members from Jollibean also described how they arrived at work only to find that their outlets had been closed without any prior notice from the company.

…The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and TADM told CNA on Saturday that they are assisting 29 Jollibean employees with unpaid salary claims.

Jollibean had signed agreements during mediation at TADM to pay 22 of its employees in instalments.

The Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT) also ordered the company to pay three other employees, while the remaining four cases are pending mediation or the outcome from the ECT, MOM and TADM said.