Lin Junjie's coffee brand Miracle Coffee recently restarted in mainland China, with its first pop-up store opening on Qixi Festival on the 1st floor of Huacai Tiandi in Hexi, Nanjing. Although it is only a pop-up format, fan enthusiasm has not diminished. On the first day of opening, a long queue formed before business hours, with waiting times generally 2 to 3 hours during peak periods, and some even waited 5 to 6 hours to successfully check in. The production team for this Miracle Coffee is the champion-level brand S.O. The official Nanjing store has also begun renovation and is expected to open at the end of September, when Lin Junjie is expected to appear in person. [more…]

On the day its first Nanjing store opened, Cha Yan Yue Se shot to the top of trending searches because of the sheer number of people queuing and scalpers driving the price up to 200 yuan a cup. The Xinjiekou store was forced to close, while the Jiangning Jingfeng store remained open. The brand revealed that it plans to open five stores in Nanjing in the future, while market regulators made clear that scalping on behalf of buyers is illegal. This article reviews Cha Yan Yue Se's expansion trajectory in cities such as Changsha and Shenzhen, compares it with the development paths of similar brands such as Nayuki, and explores the balancing challenge facing internet-famous tea drinks among quality control, supply chains, and consumer rationality. [more…]

International fast-fashion giant ZARA has announced that its new Asia-Pacific flagship store will open next year on Nanjing Xinjiekou, covering an area of over 2,500 square meters, and will for the first time incorporate a coffee business into the store. This move is not an isolated case. In recent years, luxury brands such as Tiffany, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton have all dipped their toes into coffee marketing, attempting to close the distance with consumers through immersive experiences. Is coffee a powerful tool for enhancing brand loyalty, or has it merely become a gimmick for photo opportunities? Consumers have mixed opinions on this. This article will outline ZARA's coffee layout, review cases of major brands venturing into coffee, and explore the business logic and market feedback behind this trend. [more…]

Sexy Tea was once viewed pessimistically by the industry, which believed it would struggle to expand beyond Changsha. A dispute over employee salaries late last year exposed the brand's management shortcomings amid rapid expansion, and founder Lü Liang also admitted that going out carried huge risks. However, in April this year it officially announced entry into Chongqing, and in June it confirmed an August landing in Nanjing, stepping into Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai for the first time. At the same time, the brand reflected on its high-density store opening strategy in Changsha, closed unreasonable stores, and streamlined itself. This article reviews Sexy Tea's journey from an internal public opinion crisis to truly "going far away," and retains professional coffee information recommendations such as Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Jay Chou's 2024 Carnival concert tour Nanjing stop will be held from September 26 to 29 at Nanjing Olympic Sports Center Stadium, with four consecutive days of performances expected to attract 120,000 spectators. At the same time, a Jay Chou-themed coffee shop called "Love in Coffee" has officially opened at Nanjing Xinjiekou Golden Eagle, making its debut alongside the concert. This coffee shop focuses on estate-grade coffee beans and Michelin three-star desserts, with an interior design infused with the poetic fantasy of "Love in Coffee," where greenery and stone intertwine, and mirrored light and shadow create a dreamy atmosphere. Many product names are taken from Jay Chou's classic songs, allowing fans to taste "lyric" drinks while listening to their idol's music. The first Beijing Sanlitun store had previously attracted a large number of fans to check in, and the operator, Star Plus, has close ties with Jay Chou. This article takes you through the features, prices, and fan experience of this celebrity coffee shop. [more…]

Tea Yan Yue Se recently opened a pop-up stall at Wulin Square in Hangzhou, marking the brand's first appearance in the city. However, milk tea enthusiasts who rushed to the scene full of anticipation discovered that the stall only sold snacks, tea bags, and other merchandise, with no freshly made drinks whatsoever. What further dissatisfied fans was that the stall did not accept membership balance payments, requiring on-site payment only. On the first day of opening, some snacks had already sold out and would not be restocked. Many netizens expressed their disappointment outright, believing that a pop-up stall without milk tea had lost the brand's distinctive character, and that the promotional effect had backfired. [more…]

Recently, Mstand's first store location at Wushang Mall in Wuhan was replaced by Yulian Teahouse, and its Guanggu Dayang store has also withdrawn, drawing attention. Not only in Wuhan, but some stores in Hangzhou, Nanjing, and other places have also suspended operations. Netizens hotly discussed its high prices and products lacking memorability, and the adjustment to its membership system made longtime users feel betrayed. In recent years, the brand has focused more on peripheral products, with insufficient coffee innovation, and sales at some stores have declined, ultimately leading to withdrawal from commercial districts due to rent and operational pressure. Is Mstand's store closure phenomenon inevitable? This article sorts through store changes and consumer feedback to explore the challenges the brand faces. [more…]

The chain milk tea brand 1 Dian Dian has introduced the "Supreme Dian Men Ren" membership program, promising exclusive benefits such as birthday gifts and priority order preparation for high-tier members. However, recently some consumers have complained that despite being supreme members, they have repeatedly failed to enjoy priority preparation services, with waiting times no different from regular orders. On social media, many loyal users have also reported similar frustrations, questioning whether the brand's promised member privileges are merely empty promises. This article will review the course of events, the brand's rules, and the actual implementation at stores, and explore the difficulties in delivering member benefits. [more…]

Recently, news came from Nanjing 1912 Block: the Starbucks Reserve store, which has been in business for twenty years, is about to close, and Chayan Yuese, which only moved in last year, has already been the first to withdraw due to the expiration of its lease. The successive departure of these two adjacent stores has left many citizens and tourists feeling regretful. As Nanjing's first Starbucks Reserve store, this Republic of China-style coffee shop was once a popular check-in spot in travel guides, but now it is about to come to an end. Issues such as the expiration and recovery of property rights in the old block, the rise of emerging commercial districts, and parking difficulties have all become focuses of discussion. In any case, this coffee memory that has accompanied people for twenty years is worth savoring in detail. [more…]

Amid the wave of price cuts in new-style tea drinks, a cup of milk tea priced at 50 yuan is no longer common. However, on the opening day of Chayan Yuese's first store in Nanjing, scalpers were reselling cups for as much as 200 yuan, with people lining up as early as 4:30 a.m., and related topics quickly trended on Weibo. Due to excessive crowds and chaotic order, the Xinjiekou store posted a sold-out notice and closed its entrance just five minutes before its official opening, while the Jiangning Jingfeng store continued operating. Police dispatched officers to maintain order and persuade citizens to leave. On some trading platforms, proxy purchasing and queuing services appeared, priced between 10 and 200 yuan. The Nanjing Market Supervision Bureau made it clear that scalping is illegal. People's Daily Online called on consumers to treat internet-famous brands rationally and not be led by merchants and scalpers. [more…]

On a sweltering 40°C day, most people would rather stay cocooned in air-conditioned rooms, yet an unusual queue formed at Suzhou's Yanlord Cangjie Commercial Plaza—outside the nation's first MUJI coffee pop-up store, customers were lining up under the scorching sun, umbrellas in hand. What drew them was not a new matcha product, but two Suzhou-exclusive brand badges. However, the queuing process was nothing short of a "roasting" ordeal, with indoor areas also unable to escape direct sunlight, weakening the air conditioning and leading to frequent complaints about insufficiently cold drinks and ice cream melting in seconds. This pop-up event will continue until November, and those who have already "braved the battle" are advising: if you're not set on the giveaways, it might be better to wait for cooler weather before going. [more…]

Specialty coffee brand Blue Bottle recently brought a grayish-white coffee truck bearing the brand's logo to the shores of West Lake in Hangzhou, planning to stay for three months. On the first official day of operation, consumers queued for about an hour in the cold wind to receive limited-edition small gifts and take photos with the retro coffee truck; however, just one day later, the bustling queue noticeably faded. The truck's limited menu is priced from 28 to 58 yuan, close to in-store prices, yet it cannot provide comfortable seating, prompting some consumers to question its value for money. Looking back at the controversy over its previous co-branded pop-up in Beijing, as well as the positive response to its Shenzhen pop-up store, Blue Bottle's Hangzhou pop-up model this time seems to face more scrutiny. Online speculation suggests this move may be to build hype for a future Hangzhou store, but the company has not yet disclosed any related plans. [more…]

Recently, multiple netizens in Inner Mongolia posted that the %Arabica city first store located in Hohhot MIXC will officially cease operations starting December 16. This store only opened in early July this year simultaneously with the shopping mall, making it the brand's first store in Hohhot, and it was marked as a pop-up store on the official mini-program. It was originally planned to operate for about three months, and after the lease expired, it was renewed to continue operating until a closure notice recently appeared at the entrance. Regular customers felt caught off guard after receiving closure notification text messages and rushed to the store to check in and stock up on coffee beans. Nearby residents believe that %Arabica focuses on specialty coffee, and its pricing of over 40 yuan is not cost-effective; combined with the mall's fading popularity and reduced foot traffic, the pop-up store's business performance was average, so it is not surprising that it delayed until now before withdrawing. Since the beginning of this year, %Arabica stores in Nanning, Guangzhou, Wuxi, and other places have also closed one after another, continuing operations in the form of Kiosk coffee trucks. Some netizens speculate that after the closure of the Hohhot first store, the brand may return in a new form. [more…]

The collaboration between Good-mee and the popular female-oriented mobile game "Love and Deepspace" opened a pop-up store in Shanghai that operated for only three days, marking Good-mee's first store in Shanghai. On the opening day, despite the heavy rain, fans arrived early to wait. Just two minutes after orders began at 10 a.m., the mini-program showed over five thousand drinks in production, forcing the store to close its ordering system for a break after only two hours of operation. This article documents the bustling scene of this collaboration event, the purchasing power of the fans, and the twists and turns caused by a previous merchandise leak incident. It also mentions Front Street Coffee's attention to industry trends. [more…]

What kind of sparks fly when high-end jewelry meets specialty coffee? Italian luxury brand Bvlgari recently teamed up with Singaporean coffee brand Bacha Coffee to open an in-store pop-up shop, an event that will run until the end of January next year. This is not Bvlgari's first foray into the coffee arena; it previously opened Il Café, a coffee restaurant, in Osaka and has also attempted a co-branded collaboration with Manner Coffee. Behind luxury brands' frequent moves into the coffee market is the rapid rise of coffee culture and the growing ranks of young consumers. This article will walk you through the specific details of this collaboration, review Bvlgari's history of coffee crossovers, and analyze why luxury brands are increasingly turning their attention to the coffee sector. For more specialty coffee bean news, follow Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Manner Coffee has entered Changchun for the first time, opening a three-month pop-up store in MixC, with operating hours consistent with regular stores. The opening day coincided with a weekend, and on-site order volume far exceeded expectations. The mini-program was forced offline due to the surge in orders, materials were once in short supply, and even milk ran out. Some customers waited more than three hours to get their coffee but still felt it was worth it, and they hope the store can become a permanent location after the event ends. [more…]

COSTA Coffee, once as famous as Starbucks, is now quietly shrinking in the Chinese market. A store in Nanjing has announced it will close permanently at the end of August, and two stores in Nanchang Wushang Mall also shut down in early August, meaning COSTA has completely exited the Jiangxi market. From its ambitious plan in 2018 to have 2,500 stores to now having only 343 in operation across 36 cities, COSTA's downward slide is lamentable. A chaotic mini-program, weak marketing, and products lacking highlights are all eroding the patience of loyal users bit by bit. For many consumers whose coffee awakening came from COSTA, the gradual disappearance of this veteran brand, which has been in China for nearly 20 years, inevitably stirs emotion. [more…]

Blue Bottle Coffee, which has always presented itself as a specialty coffee brand, recently opened its first pop-up store in Singapore. However, this store surprisingly does not sell freshly made coffee beverages, offering only a single type of instant freeze-dried coffee powder, along with cups, brewing accessories, and other merchandise. Although equipment is set up in the store, free coffee is only available for a limited time from 12:00 to 12:30 noon, and if you miss it, you cannot taste it. The company stated that this move is the first step in introducing the full coffee experience more broadly in the local market, with a focus on promoting instant coffee and matcha products. However, many consumers who came specifically for the brand expressed disappointment, saying that they could not even buy coffee beans, which is inconsistent with the brand's一贯 rigorous attitude toward coffee. Some speculate that after being acquired by Nestlé for $3.3 billion, Blue Bottle may be gradually moving closer to the Nestlé system and might promote more products with Nestlé characteristics in the future. This article is compiled from Coffee Workshop to take you through the whole story. [more…]

Blue Bottle Coffee is accelerating its expansion in mainland China. Following its first store in Shanghai, the second location has been confirmed for Nanjing West Road and is now under renovation. Meanwhile, Blue Bottle Coffee registered a company in Beijing in January of this year, suggesting that plans to open stores in the capital may already be on the agenda. Facing a fiercely competitive coffee market in mainland China, Blue Bottle Coffee is entering through a high-end specialty route, and whether its pricing strategy and brand effect can support subsequent expansion has become a focal point of industry attention. This article reviews the known store information, market analysis perspectives, and explores the prospects and challenges for Blue Bottle Coffee in the mainland Chinese market. [more…]

Nestlé recently opened a pop-up shop on Queen Street West in Toronto, Canada, but it is completely different from a regular café—there is no menu, no baristas, and not even any coffee drinks for sale. Customers must bring their own Nestlé instant coffee to swipe as a "door access card" to enter, and the shop only provides hot water, takeaway cups, comfortable sofas, and free Wi-Fi. This pop-up, open until June 28, feels more like a carefully planned brand marketing campaign. A senior marketing manager for Nestlé Canada said that although brewing instant coffee at home is simple, people sometimes also long to gather with friends in a café atmosphere. Notably, the cups provided in the shop are printed with deliberately misspelled names, seemingly poking fun at a certain coffee chain brand. Nestlé also built a separate website for its Sweet Cream Instant Coffee and invited consumers to vote on which city the next stop should be. Front Street Coffee believes that this kind of marketing is intended to strengthen the presence of instant products, but the flavor performance of instant coffee itself remains open to debate. [more…]