SINGAPORE - Frozen yogurt chain llaollao, which had to close down all its outlets in Singapore last week, plans to reopen in the first quarter of 2018.

Its founder and chief executive officer Pedro Espinosa told The Straits Times that the Spanish chain is already in the search for new locations.

"In fact, we have set this as one of our objectives in the short term, considering that Singapore is a key market to us due to two main reasons: the high acceptance of our product and the incredible amount of messages we have received from our customers in order to maintain our presence in the country," he said.

Mr Espinosa added that the positive reception of its frozen yogurt among its customers has made the brand achieve important growth in Singapore.

News of the chain closing its outlets here emerged last week. Media reports said it would be replaced by yogurt brand Yole.

llaollao issued a statement on Facebook on Tuesday night (Dec 12), clarifying that it has "absolutely nothing to do with Yole Frozen Yogurt".

It added that although Yole has physically taken over its existing outlets across the island, the product served is not llaollao's yogurt.

"The company with which we have been developing our brand in Singapore has unilaterally decided to close all the establishments in the country and reopen them under the Yole Frozen Yogurt brand," said llaollao.

"The closing of the 29 establishments in Singapore is very disappointing for us after so many years of work, but we face the situation with the peace of mind of having always fulfilled our commitments."

llaollao added that it was "far from finished in Singapore" and is instead working to keep the brand in the country.

"We will be back with new stores soon, much sooner than you can expect, so stay tuned to our social networks," it said. "Thank you for your loyalty and trust."

llaollao opened its first outlet in Marina Square in 2013 to snaking queues. It quickly spread across the island, with frequent lines in its town outlets.

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The yogurt came in various sizes, with customisable toppings such as fruit and variations of chocolate sauce.

The Straits Times has reached out to Yole for more information.

llaollao is not the only chain to have its franchise shops converted to another brand this year. Gong Cha was famously replaced by LiHo in June and has reopened a few outlets here this month.