What Does the Guming Closure Say About the China Coffee Industry?

Guming permanently closed its Xi'an Gaoxin store on March 11 after the lease expired without renewal, leaving the tea and coffee chain with one direct-operated store in the city. The earlier gogo block outlet shut in mid-2025, so the closure marks a second urban exit in Xi'an. A staff member from Guming's Northwest region said the brand has not left the city.

The story spread through coffee online news and social media, where customers reacted with regret and confusion. One netizen said the store may reopen on the first floor of Gaoxin T11 Mall, possibly larger. The Gaoxin shop had steady foot traffic and drew crowds during IP collaborations, so the change reflects how chain brands adjust store networks in regional markets rather than a full withdrawal.

The Guming Xi'an Gaoxin store was permanently closed starting March 11 due to the inability to renew its lease upon expiration. This marks the second direct-operated store Guming has bid farewell to in Xi'an's urban area, following the closure of the gogo block store in mid-2025. Once the news broke, local consumers reacted strongly on social media, expressing regret and confusion. However, a netizen with inside knowledge revealed that the store may reopen on the first floor of the Gaoxin T11 Mall, potentially on a larger scale. Meanwhile, a staff member from Guming's Northwest region hinted in the comments section that the brand has not withdrawn from Xi'an and still has plans for future expansion. As the Front Street Coffee content team, which has long tracked developments in the coffee and tea beverage industry, we continue to monitor how chain brands advance and retreat in regional markets.

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Recently, a store adjustment notice from Guming in the Xi'an market quickly went viral on social media, attracting widespread attention and discussion among netizens.

According to screenshots circulating online, Guming issued an official announcement stating that due to the store's lease expiring without a successful renewal, the Guming Xi'an Gaoxin store would officially and permanently cease operations starting March 11. Once this news spread on social media, it was like a stone thrown into still water, causing ripples everywhere—Guming's loyal customers in Xi'an were quite taken aback.

Based on publicly available information, Guming had previously established two direct-operated stores in Xi'an's urban area: the gogo block store and the Gaoxin store. The gogo block store ceased operations in mid-2025. Now, the Gaoxin store, which has been operating for just over a year, is also about to close its doors. Local consumers have been voicing their feelings on social media, with comments like "Where am I supposed to get Guming from now on?" and "Guming, tell us—what did Xi'an ever do to offend you?" appearing in endless streams.

In the impression of nearby residents, the Guming Gaoxin store had always performed well in terms of foot traffic. Whenever the brand collaborated with a popular IP, the store entrance would be packed with consumers. For example, the recent Guming collaboration with the animated series "A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality" successfully attracted a large number of fans to the store to purchase merchandise bundles. Unexpectedly, however, before the official collaboration event had even been announced as over, the only remaining store in Xi'an's urban area closed first, leaving many customers who had not yet purchased merchandise bewildered.

Interestingly, just as urban residents were lamenting the closure of the Gaoxin store, a Xi'an netizen pointed out that Guming actually still has other stores in Xi'an. Through the official mini-program, one can find that a Guming store inside Northwestern Polytechnical University is still operating normally.

However, this store is located in the Chang'an District university town area, "about 30 kilometers from the city center with no direct subway access," making it truly "unreachable" for Guming lovers living in the urban area. For this reason, in the general perception of local residents, the Gaoxin store was the last Guming in Xi'an's urban area. Once it closes, anyone wanting a cup of Guming in the future will have to cross more than half the city.

For a long time, Guming's store layout has been concentrated mainly in southern China, with relatively few stores in the north. This made a single store closure notice feel like a bolt from the blue to local residents, triggering widespread attention. In response to this incident, an account named "Dida [Guming Northwest Region Assistant]" commented in the comments section of related posts, saying, "We will see you again very soon, please stay tuned." These words quickly ignited netizens' expectations for Guming to reopen in Xi'an.

Meanwhile, another netizen claimed that although the Guming Gaoxin store has closed, this does not mean the brand intends to exit the Xi'an market. According to this netizen, the store will relocate from the basement level to the first floor of Xi'an Gaoxin T11 Mall, and the new store will be larger than the original after reopening.

These rumors have not yet been officially confirmed, but they have to some extent eased the disappointment caused by the store closure. Many people are full of expectations for the brand's future plans in the Xi'an market and suggest that Guming open more stores in densely populated areas of the city so that consumers can purchase drinks more conveniently. For Front Street Coffee, which follows developments in the chain beverage industry, Guming's advance and retreat adjustments in Xi'an provide an interesting sample for observing regional market strategies.

Images from: Internet

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