Sip & Dip plans more stores as NZ dessert competition grows

Christchurch dessert business Sip & Dip plans to open more stores before the end of 2026, as frozen yoghurt and dessert venues compete for New Zealanders’ evenings out. The expansion plans come alongside new arrivals in Christchurch and Auckland, with an established franchise operator pointing to both the appeal of the format and its earlier growth cycle.

Sip & Dip sets out expansion plans

Reporting by The Press on 30 October identified Sip & Dip as one of the businesses participating in a growing appetite for dessert-led outings. The Christchurch business offers frozen yoghurt, açai and other desserts, and has an Instagram following of more than 15,000.

Franchisor Shivam Kapoor told the publication that the business planned to open more stores this year. He also argued that dessert outings continued to appeal despite pressure on household budgets.

“Everyone's always been going out for desserts, and no matter the cost of living, everything is fairly priced,” Kapoor said.

That is an operator’s assessment of customer demand, rather than a measure of spending across New Zealand. Nevertheless, the expansion plans give the franchise community a specific development to watch: an existing dessert business preparing to add outlets while competing concepts also establish new locations.

The reported plans do not specify a store total or locations for Sip & Dip’s next openings. They should therefore be read as an expansion intention, rather than a confirmed schedule of individual launches.

Christchurch and Auckland attract new venues

Christchurch is also due to gain a YOMI dessert bar in December. The brand comes from Mt Maunganui and opened in Ponsonby, Auckland, in September, according to The Press.

In Auckland, a second Shibby’s is expected to open directly across the road from YOMI’s Ponsonby venue. Shibby’s opened its first venue in Newmarket in December 2025, after its founders visited Australia to investigate the market.

There, they encountered Yo-Chi, a self-service frozen yoghurt business with more than 70 Australian stores, as well as outlets in the United Kingdom and Singapore. The couple subsequently developed a similar concept for New Zealand.

At Shibby’s, customers choose frozen yoghurt flavours, add toppings and pay by weight. A bowl costs approximately $10 to $20, depending on its size. Music and the opportunity for groups to compare their creations are part of the experience described in the report.

These openings provide context for Sip & Dip’s plans, but they are not all announcements of new franchise opportunities. The relevant competitive development is the arrival of more places offering dessert as an outing in its own right.

A younger audience, but a familiar format

Rose Selwyn, who opened Auckland CBD’s Ben & Jerry’s franchise in mid-2020 and sold it in May 2025, told The Press that the underlying idea was not new.

She pointed to KiwiYo, which emerged in Auckland’s Mission Bay in 2012. The frozen yoghurt business reached 20 franchises across New Zealand but now has only two, the publication reported.

That history adds useful perspective to the current wave of openings. The presence of new venues does not, by itself, establish how large or durable demand will be for any particular network.

Selwyn identified the intended customer base as a distinction between earlier businesses and the latest arrivals. “The new ones that are popping up are targeting the younger audience,” she said.

She also said fewer young people were going to pubs, making dessert parlours an alternative night out. Her observations place the social occasion, rather than simply the product, at the centre of the proposition.

What prospective franchisees should assess

For New Zealand’s franchise community, Sip & Dip’s plans sit within a changing local competitive picture: more dessert venues, overlapping product offers and an emphasis on customers spending time together.

The contrast with KiwiYo’s smaller present-day network is a reason to assess each opportunity on its own merits, not evidence that newer concepts will follow the same path. Equally, a substantial social media following should not be treated as proof of outlet profitability.

Practical takeaway: Before committing to a dessert franchise, ask for outlet-level trading evidence, the confirmed opening pipeline and a clear explanation of how the proposed location will compete with nearby venues.