What the Manner and Lianjia shared store means for coffee bean gifts

Manner Coffee has opened a shared outlet inside a Lianjia real estate agency in Shanghai, at No. 184, Lane 100, Zhongtan Road. Lianjia confirmed the opening on April 7 through its official WeChat account. The two brands share one signboard, half white and half green, with Manner's inverted triangle logo beside Lianjia's property listing boards.

Manner has generally placed stores in core business districts and office-dense areas, so moving a bar into a community store alongside a real estate agency drew questions about whether the two shopping occasions can blend. Lianjia already runs an extensive store network covering both business districts and residential neighborhoods, which gives the coffee brand access to foot traffic it would not otherwise reach.

Recently, a netizen in Shanghai discovered that a Manner Coffee outlet had actually opened inside a Lianjia store, with the two brands sharing the same signboard—half white, half green. At the entrance, you can see both Manner's inverted triangle logo and Lianjia's property listing board. Is this Manner's attempt to expand into community channels, or has Lianjia taken a stake in the coffee brand? The answer was finally revealed when Lianjia's official WeChat account posted on April 7 confirming that this shared store at No. 184, Lane 100, Zhongtan Road had officially opened. Manner has always chosen locations in core business districts or office-dense areas, and this time moving its bar into a community and sharing space with a real estate agency has sparked considerable discussion. Some are excited, some joke about it, and others question whether the two consumption scenarios can truly integrate. This article walks you through the ins and outs of this cross-industry collaboration.

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Recently, a Shanghai netizen tipped off that a new Manner Coffee counter had appeared inside a Lianjia community store. Interestingly, the two brands share a single signboard, creating a visual effect both inside and outside the store where white and green each take up half. At the entrance, you can see both Manner's signature white inverted triangle and Lianjia's property listing display boards—the overall style is quite novel.

Once the news spread, netizens began speculating: Is Manner planning to move into community stores? Or has Lianjia invested in Manner? Or is it just a pop-up collaboration between the two brands? As preparations wrapped up, Lianjia finally gave an official statement a couple of days ago.

On April 7, Shanghai Lianjia's official WeChat account announced that the first shared store created in partnership with coffee brand MANNER had officially opened its doors, located specifically at No. 184, Lane 100, Zhongtan Road.

As a leading player in the real estate industry, Lianjia has an extremely extensive store network. Whether in core urban business districts or residential communities, as long as there's a need to rent or buy a home, you can always easily find this "green house."

Manner, dubbed the "white moonlight of the coffee world" by office workers, has always favored locations in a corner of key business districts or clustered in coffee gathering spots under large office buildings—a pick-me-up choice for countless workers before clocking in or during their lunch break. Only a very small number of stores are located in art museums, parks, snowy mountains, and other places with relatively scattered foot traffic. This time, however, it has moved its bar directly into a community and even shares space with a real estate agency—truly unusual.

Regarding this cross-industry pairing of the two brands, many netizens, while surprised, also pointed out that their primary consumer groups differ greatly, and stylistically they could be said to be completely mismatched. Manner can be enjoyed every day—after all, a cup of coffee at ten or twenty yuan is a routine expense; whereas customers walking into Lianjia are clearly there for property listings, with a very specific need to buy or rent. Forcing them together is unlikely to produce much of a chemical reaction.

However, this Manner inside Lianjia is located near the entrance of a residential community, where daily foot traffic is usually not low. Therefore, some consumers believe that while it may be hard to reach the packed levels of a business district store, being able to capture some passing traffic is still a decent attempt. Moreover, this hybrid model currently has only one store and is still in the trial stage—the final result will depend on how operations go down the road.

As for the reasons behind the collaboration, opinions vary widely. Some think it's Manner's attempt to expand into community channels, while others joke that it might be to share the burden of rent. But rather than praise and anticipation, netizens' teasing about this collaboration is clearly louder.

"Can I get 50,000 off buying a house if I bring my own cup?" "Coffee I can't afford, home I can't afford to live in" "In the time it takes to drink a coffee, you've bought a house?" "I've even thought of the slogan: Buying a house, as easy as buying coffee"

"Lianjia can't pay rent anymore, Manner can't pay rent anymore, so they got married."

In recent years, collaborations have become increasingly commonplace, with all kinds of pairings emerging endlessly, yet fewer and fewer are memorable. In the coffee world, cross-industry brand collaborations are already nothing new, and creating hybrid stores with leading brands from other industries is not uncommon either. But the always "maverick" Manner actually opening a shared store with real estate giant Lianjia has undoubtedly rolled out yet another new model.

Image source: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.