What Happened to the EasyJoy Coffee Store Chain?

EasyJoy Coffee (Beijing) Co., Ltd. was placed in the business abnormality directory by the Changping District Market Supervision Bureau for failing to publish its annual report on time. The company, established in February 2021 with registered capital of 60 million yuan, is wholly owned by Sinopec EasyJoy Sales Co., Ltd. Sinopec has not yet responded.

EasyJoy Coffee was launched in September 2019 through a partnership with Lian Coffee, opening its first stores at nine Sinopec gas stations in Suzhou. Lianxiang Business withdrew in 2024, after which Sinopec took full control and later reached a strategic cooperation with Tims China, reflecting both the opportunities and challenges of the gas station coffee chain model.

Tianyancha information shows that EasyJoy Coffee (Beijing) Co., Ltd. was listed in the business abnormality directory by the Changping District Market Supervision Bureau of Beijing for failing to publish its annual report on time. This company, wholly owned by Sinopec EasyJoy with a registered capital of 60 million yuan, was once an important vehicle for Sinopec's exploration of the coffee business in gas station scenarios. From launching the brand in 2019 in cooperation with Lian Coffee, to Lianxiang Business withdrawing in 2024 and Sinopec fully taking over, and then to reaching a strategic cooperation with Tims China, the development trajectory of EasyJoy Coffee reflects the opportunities and challenges in the gas station coffee track. At present, Sinopec has not yet responded to this matter.

Tianyancha App shows that EasyJoy Coffee (Beijing) Co., Ltd. was recently listed in the business abnormality directory by the Beijing Changping District Market Supervision Administration for failing to publish its annual report within the prescribed period.

Public information shows that the company was established in February 2021, with Liu Yan as its legal representative, a registered capital of 60 million RMB, and a business scope including catering services, food sales, basic artificial intelligence software development, and the manufacture of commercial, catering, and service-specific equipment, etc.

Shareholder information shows that the company is wholly owned by Sinopec EasyJoy Sales Co., Ltd., under China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (600028).

As is well known, EasyJoy is the service brand and operating entity of Sinopec's non-oil business. It has created 28,000 convenience stores and nearly 10,000 EasyJoy car care outlets, making it the direct-operated convenience store chain with the largest number of stores in China and the largest self-operated car wash service platform.

And "EasyJoy Coffee" is an important exploration by Sinopec EasyJoy in developing comprehensive service business in gas station scenarios. On September 3, 2019, Sinopec EasyJoy cooperated with Lian Coffee and officially launched the new brand "EasyJoy Coffee."

At that time, the first batch of EasyJoy Coffee stores opened simultaneously in 9 Sinopec gas stations in Suzhou, offering coffee, tea drinks, and other products. At the same time, the first EasyJoy Coffee image store also held an unveiling ceremony on Xinghu Street in Suzhou.

Public information shows that EasyJoy Coffee is a new proprietary coffee brand launched by Sinopec EasyJoy Group based on the new retail concept. In the gas station consumption scenario featuring quick decisions and quick delivery, coffee, as a special category product, can effectively stimulate the consumption needs of people in the car, satisfying consumers' consumption scenarios within the car space, and coffee as a special category product provides more possibilities for Sinopec's gas station non-oil business.

The launch of the EasyJoy brand marked the official arrival of gas station coffee in China. According to reports, "EasyJoy Coffee" launched three series of products with different positioning, namely 92# (black and white coffee), 95# (fashionable special drinks), and 98# (premium series).

In December 2020, Sinopec EasyJoy officially announced that it would establish a joint venture with the internet coffee brand "Lian Coffee" to promote the "EasyJoy Coffee" brand's large-scale entry into gas station consumption channels and successively open stores in EasyJoy convenience stores.

EasyJoy Coffee was registered and established in February 2021, with a registered capital of 60 million yuan, and its business scope includes catering services, food sales, etc. From the perspective of equity, Lianxiang Business held a 10% stake in EasyJoy Coffee, while Sinopec EasyJoy held a 90% stake.

Sinopec stated that the launch of EasyJoy Coffee achieved a breakthrough in scenarios and was an innovation in the new retail model of "delivery + in-store consumption" for gas station convenience store business. Before that, consumers could only make purchases in stores; EasyJoy Coffee enables consumers to easily complete purchases whether on the road, in the car, or in business districts near gas stations.

However, the subsequent development of the EasyJoy Coffee brand failed to meet the expectations of both cooperating parties. In June 2024, Qichacha information showed that EasyJoy Coffee (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (abbreviated as "EasyJoy Coffee"), under Sinopec, underwent equity changes. The original shareholder Shanghai Lianxiang Business Consulting Co., Ltd. (abbreviated as "Lianxiang Business") withdrew, and the company became wholly owned by Sinopec EasyJoy Sales Co., Ltd. (abbreviated as "Sinopec EasyJoy").

However, in July 2022, the globally renowned coffee chain brand Tims China also suddenly announced a strategic cooperation with EasyJoy Coffee. According to the cooperation agreement, the two parties will explore opening small Tims coffee shops in some EasyJoy Coffee stores, and at the same time jointly develop co-branded ready-to-drink coffee (RTD) and sell it in EasyJoy convenience stores nationwide.

Regarding EasyJoy Coffee being listed in the business abnormality directory by the market supervision department, Sinopec has not yet responded.

Image source: Internet

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