What Does the Luckin Coffee Hong Kong Rollout Look Like?
Luckin Coffee is preparing seven stores in Hong Kong, in Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui, Tseung Kwan O, Kowloon Tong, Sha Tin, Ho Man Tin, and Sheung Wan. All sites are under renovation with hoardings reading Opening Soon. The Tsim Sha Tsui branch sits directly beside a Starbucks, a clear signal of head-on competition for local coffee drinkers.
The Tsim Sha Tsui store is expected to open first early next month, while the Tseung Kwan O branch carries a renovation permit completion date of December 5. Recruitment for the first Hong Kong store began about two months ago through Luckin's Shenzhen office, as mainland diners head south and local consumers watch for lower prices.
Luckin Coffee has been making frequent moves in the Hong Kong market recently. According to netizens' compilation, there are currently 7 stores in the preparatory stage, located in Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui, Tseung Kwan O, Kowloon Tong, Sha Tin, Ho Man Tin, and Sheung Wan. Among them, the Tsim Sha Tsui branch is situated right next to Starbucks, seen as a signal of direct competition between the brands. These stores are all currently shown as under renovation, with hoardings marked "Opening Soon." The Tsim Sha Tsui store is expected to open first early next month, and the Tseung Kwan O store is also expected to welcome customers in December. As Hongkongers flock to consume in the mainland, mainland catering brands are venturing south to test the waters, and Luckin's entry has local consumers eagerly anticipating whether "9.9 yuan coffee" can land in Hong Kong.
Recently, the news of Luckin Coffee entering Hong Kong has continued to spark discussions within the industry.
According to the latest information provided by local netizens, after some compilation, it was found that Luckin currently has 7 stores in preparation in Hong Kong, located respectively in Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui Mira Place, Tseung Kwan O Metro City, Kowloon Tong Festival Walk, Sha Tin Centre, Ho Man Tin Plaza, and Sheung Wan FWD Financial Centre. Notably, the Tsim Sha Tsui branch is right next to Starbucks, with a rather obvious sense of competition.
It is understood that these 7 stores are all currently in the renovation stage, with "Opening Soon" printed on the outer hoardings. As the brand's first entry point into Hong Kong, the Tsim Sha Tsui branch started recruitment through multiple channels as early as two months ago. Relevant personnel from Luckin's Shenzhen branch, responsible for recruitment, stated that the store is expected to officially open early next month.
In addition, after on-site visits by netizens, it was found that the "renovation permit" outside the Tseung Kwan O branch shows a completion date of December 5, so this store is also expected to open next month. On social platforms, many netizens geotagged in Hong Kong often post updates on the latest progress of other branches, making local consumers quite excited.
It is not hard to see that over the past year, Hong Kong residents going north to Shenzhen for consumption has become a trend. At the same time, many mainland catering brands have chosen to go south and open their first stores in Hong Kong. Chain tea beverage brands like Mixue Bingcheng, More Yogurt, and Shuyi Tealicious began planning their entry into Hong Kong as early as last year, followed by chain coffee brands like MANNER and Cotti, which also set their sights on the Hong Kong market first. By this year, brands like Chagee and ChaPanda have also announced the start of trial operations in Hong Kong.
Regarding Luckin's entry, Hong Kong media, as always, commented sharply in their headlines: "Luckin Coffee to Plant Flags in Three Districts of Hong Kong, Netizens Hope Hong Kong Starbucks' HK$40 a Cup Becomes Extinct." Besides the opening time, whether the trend of 9.9 yuan coffee can blow into Hong Kong is also a hot topic among local residents. After all, in a land where every inch is gold, everyone naturally hopes that Luckin's Hong Kong branches can continue the affordable pricing route from the mainland.
In fact, overall, most mainland catering brands have chosen to raise prices to varying degrees after going south.
Take MANNER, the coffee brand that was the first to "test the waters," as an example. In Hong Kong, MANNER's cheapest products, espresso and Americano, are priced at HK$20 per cup, with other products generally under HK$30; while in mainland stores, Americano sells for 15 yuan, espresso for 10 yuan, and regular milk coffee is about 15–20 yuan.
Comparison of MANNER's mainland store menu and Hong Kong branch menu
The same goes for tea beverage brands. For example, Heytea, which early on lowered its mainland products to under 20 yuan, has Hong Kong stores generally priced around HK$30; Mixue Bingcheng's fresh-cut lemonade sells for 4 yuan in the mainland, while in Hong Kong it is HK$9; another example is Chagee, which recently opened its first Hong Kong store, with its signature product "Boya Juexian" large cup priced at 20 yuan in the mainland and HK$32 in Hong Kong; ChaPanda's Yangzhi Ganlu medium cup is 18 yuan in the mainland and HK$32 in Hong Kong.
Although everyone has shown a clear upward trend in pricing after entering Hong Kong, compared to the locally popular tea beverage prices (usually between HK$30 and 40), these newly entered brands still have a strong "killing power" against their peers. As for Luckin, stepping into Hong Kong for the first time, what kind of pricing will it set? Let's wait and see～
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
