Twelve Cupcakes, a pastry chain co-founded by 2001 Miss Universe Singapore winner Jaime Teo, has shut down operations in Singapore after 14 years.
The company announced on its official website that it entered provisional liquidation on Wednesday, which also marked its final day of business.
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused and would like to express our heartfelt thanks for your kind support and partnership over the years,” the announcement read. No further details were provided.
 |
|
Jaime Teo at a Twelve Cupcakes outlet. Photo from Jaime Teo’s Instagram/@jmeteo |
While most of its webpages have been taken down, some features, including the online catalogue and store locator, remain accessible through search, as reported by The Straits Times.
Twelve Cupcakes operated around 20 outlets and its closured affected about 80 employees. Employees were reportedly notified of the closure and their employment termination on Wednesday, according to The Business Times.
The firm was set up in 2011 by Teo and her then-husband, former radio DJ Daniel Ong. It was sold to Dhunseri Group, one of India’s largest tea companies, after the couple divorced in 2016, according to Channel News Asia.
The chain was ordered to pay a S$119,500 (US$92,000) fine in January 2021 for underpaying seven foreign workers by roughly S$114,000 between December 2016 and November 2018.
The company said it had adopted the practice, which involved listing higher salaries on paper than employees actually received, from the previous management.
A few months later, Ong and Teo were each fined S$65,000 for underpaying foreign workers between 2013 and 2016, with some reportedly not receiving any wages at all for periods in 2012 and 2013.
The chain reported a net loss of S$1.2 million for the financial year ending March 31, 2025, up from the previous year’s S$1.1 million loss. Its revenue fell to S$9.2 million from S$11.8 million in FY2024.
