What Does Mixue Bingcheng's US Push Mean for Luckin Coffee?

Mixue Bingcheng has put up construction barriers at three US storefronts: two in Manhattan, on Chinatown and Broadway Avenue near 32nd Street, and one across from the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. All three sit in high-traffic, expensive locations, and one Manhattan site is a few minutes' walk from a Luckin Coffee. Renovation is under way, with openings expected by late this year or early next.

The overlap is drawing online comment because Luckin Coffee already built a US foothold, and onlookers read the shared Manhattan blocks as a continuation of their domestic rivalry abroad. Mixue's budget positioning and whether it adjusts overseas pricing remain open questions, and the answer will shape how American coffee culture absorbs another value-focused chain.

Mixue Bingcheng has been making frequent moves in the US market. After multiple overseas media outlets reported last month that it would enter New York, the brand has successively put up construction barriers at two stores in Manhattan's Chinatown and Broadway Avenue, and a third storefront barrier has also appeared next to Hollywood's Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. All three locations are in prime, extremely expensive areas with heavy foot traffic, and one of the New York stores is only a few blocks away from Luckin Coffee, sparking heated discussion online. All three stores are currently in the renovation stage and are expected to open by the end of the year or early next year. Whether Mixue Bingcheng can continue its domestic budget-friendly approach and whether it will adjust pricing overseas has become a focal point of attention.

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Last month, multiple mainstream overseas media outlets reported that Mixue Bingcheng planned to enter New York and disclosed the location of its first store. After the news came out, many Mixue fans in Manhattan would make a point of checking on the US first store whenever they passed by the area.

Recently, nearby netizens noticed new changes at the storefront Mixue Bingcheng rented in Chinatown: outside the original roll-up gate, an advertising banner printed with the brand logo and the classic Snow King image has been hung, suggesting that renovation work has begun.

Meanwhile, netizens in Manhattan photographed workers putting up Mixue Bingcheng advertising banners outside a street-facing storefront on Broadway Avenue. According to local residents, the store is located at the intersection of Broadway Avenue and 32nd Street, right next to a subway station, with heavy foot traffic. Many users believe the brand chose this location precisely because of the customer flow advantage here.

Interestingly, some netizens noticed that this Mixue Bingcheng store is only a few minutes' walk from a Luckin Coffee several blocks away. Onlookers jokingly remarked that Snow King is following in Luckin's footsteps, planning to continue competing with its old rival in a foreign land.

In addition to the two stores already barricaded in Manhattan, netizens in Los Angeles also discovered that a Mixue Bingcheng store has been barricaded directly across from the TCL Chinese Theatre and Madame Tussauds. It is understood that the store is located at 6922 Hollywood Boulevard, occupying the world-class tourist landmark of the Walk of Fame.

A property representative revealed that the store has an area of 752 square feet (approximately 69.86 square meters). Although the space is not particularly large, opening a store here is of great significance for brand building. Public information shows that this Hollywood location attracts approximately 10 million tourists annually, which translates to an estimated daily foot traffic of about 27,400 people. Such enormous customer flow is expected to bring huge brand exposure and sales potential for Mixue Bingcheng.

Currently, the three Mixue Bingcheng stores that have been frequently appearing on social media have all successively entered the renovation stage and are expected to open by the end of this year or early next year. However, whether the first publicly revealed store will open first or all three will open simultaneously is still unknown.

Seeing Mixue Bingcheng rent storefronts and renovate them in three prime, extremely expensive locations in succession, many netizens were astonished by the brand's grand overseas expansion, exclaiming, "Is this still the Snow King I know?"

But many people are also very much looking forward to someday being able to listen to "I love you, you love me, Mixue Bingcheng sweet as can be" while drinking a few-dollar lemonade on American streets. "Can Snow sell taro ball grape drinks for 3 dollars in LA," "Snow King rules Hollywood," "Can I get a lemonade for 1 dollar," "I can already picture the scene after opening when Mixue's music and the loudspeaker music from the rickshaws at the foot of the Empire State Building echo each other."

However, although the public hopes that Mixue Bingcheng in the US can maintain the same pricing as in China and continue its budget tea beverage approach, some rational fans believe that if the brand maintains its original pricing strategy, it may struggle to cover local rent, utilities, labor, and other operating costs, speculating that its product prices are likely not cheap. As for what prices Mixue Bingcheng will ultimately offer to American consumers, we will have to wait and see.

Image source: Internet

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