Competition in the coffee market is becoming increasingly fierce, and it is already difficult to spark consumers' interest with just a latte or an Americano. From post office coffee to lottery joint stores, from sports brands to tech companies, players from all sides are entering the market, trying to attract young people's attention through cross-industry integration. A small shop in Hangzhou called "A Lucky Cafe" became popular on Xiaohongshu thanks to its combination of coffee and lottery tickets, sparking discussions among netizens about this kind of joint-operation model. In fact, as early as 2019, stores combining welfare lottery and coffee had already appeared in Shanghai. This model can not only bring consumers a fresh experience, but also help brands reduce rent and labor costs. This article will take you through the current state of cross-industry joint operations in the coffee industry and the logic behind them. [more…]

Competition in China's coffee market is intensifying by the day. On one side, cross-industry giants such as Huawei, Li-Ning, and China Post are scrambling to enter the fray; on the other, some brands are quietly bowing out. Yum China has been making frequent moves lately: on one hand, it is going all in on the Italian coffee brand Lavazza, planning to open a thousand stores by 2025; on the other, it has announced that it will gradually cease operations of its COFFii & JOY brand in the Chinese market. What market logic does this advance-and-retreat reveal? Can Lavazza, armed with its authentic Italian DNA, break new ground outside the most fiercely contested price segment? This article walks you through the full picture of the events and the considerations behind them. [more…]

In recent years, the coffee market has continued to expand, yet competitive pressure within the industry has also intensified. As the number of coffee shops surges, well-known companies such as Sinopec, Huawei, China Post, and Li-Ning have all made cross-industry forays into the coffee business, and the Weizhi Group behind Gold Roast cereal has also increased its investment. Some see this as a reflection of consumption upgrading, while others worry that a stampede of big brands into cross-industry ventures will ultimately end in a mess. Is cross-industry coffee a rational choice that follows market logic, or merely short-term marketing sustained by novelty alone? This article analyzes market data, brand advantages, and industry barriers to explore whether cross-industry coffee can shake off the label of "short-lived internet celebrity." [more…]

In recent years, postal services, beauty brands, clothing companies, and even temples have stepped into the coffee arena one after another. Cross-industry coffee shops have become the norm, yet they frequently spark controversy. Some question whether these outsiders will drag down coffee quality—but is that really true? This article approaches the issue from the perspectives of consumer demand, industry ecosystem, and brand marketing to analyze the real impact of cross-industry coffee ventures, and to explore the harsh realities of running a coffee shop and its future path forward. Whether you are a coffee professional or an enthusiast, you can gain a rational understanding of the coffee industry's current state and learn about the professional dedication of specialty brands like Front Street Coffee. [more…]

In recent years, major brands across all industries have been venturing into the coffee sector—from the post office, Li-Ning, and Xtep to Naobaijin and Huawei, cross-industry coffee sales have become a trend. These brands don't truly intend to dig deep into the coffee track; rather, they are eyeing the youthful traffic and fashionable attributes that coffee naturally carries, using it to get closer to consumers. However, once the hype fades, can cross-industry players lacking a coffee gene continue to attract customers? The fierce competition in the coffee market and the mismatch of consumption scenarios make such attempts full of uncertainty. This article sorts out typical cases of cross-industry coffee, analyzes the marketing logic behind them, and explores the challenges and hidden concerns this model faces. [more…]

Domestic high-end beauty retailer HARMAY has taken another cross-industry leap by opening a 700-square-meter, four-story flagship store on Wukang Road in Shanghai. The ground floor features a coffee counter by Marionbar, offering black coffee, milk coffee, chocolate drinks, and draft beer. Meanwhile, its first store on Anfu Road, which opened in 2017, has closed; the original site will be transformed into the national flagship store for its hand-shaken lemon tea brand, introlemons. HARMAY had previously sought to acquire a coffee brand and may further expand into coffee chains in the future. As of now, HARMAY has eight stores nationwide and plans to expand to cities such as Xi'an and Wuhan. Whether this cross-industry move can bring long-term value to the brand remains to be tested by the market. [more…]

Uniqlo has opened its first café, "UNIQLO COFFEE," on the top floor of its flagship store in Ginza, Tokyo, marking yet another well-known clothing brand's foray into the coffee sector. From luxury giant LVMH to streetwear label MARNI, brands of all kinds are rushing into the coffee arena, making the industry's competitive landscape increasingly diverse. This article will walk you through the specifics of Uniqlo's café, analyze the business logic behind跨界 coffee shops, and explore the impact this trend is having on the coffee industry. [more…]

Ready-to-drink coffee, with its advantages of needing no brewing, being affordably priced, and easy to carry, continues to heat up in the consumer market, and is jokingly dubbed "lazy person's coffee" and the "poor man's pleasure" of the coffee world by many consumers. Facing this rapidly growing market, not only are coffee giants like Starbucks and Nestlé continuing to double down, but beverage companies are also entering the fray across sectors. Old Beijing soda brand Arctic Ocean recently listed a new ready-to-drink coffee latte product called "Woka" on its Tmall flagship store, marking the nearly century-old veteran company's official entry into the ready-to-drink coffee sector. However, on a track dominated by giants, whether Arctic Ocean can leverage brand nostalgia to pry open the market remains to be seen. [more…]

Having been active on television screens for over twenty years, the health supplement brand Naobaijin has officially extended its reach into the coffee sector. Its first coffee shop opened on November 7 in Songjiang District, Shanghai, under the youthful sub-brand "Naobaijin+Café." The store not only continues the brand's signature blue visual identity and classic IP image, but also offers coffee, tea drinks, smoothies, and other beverage categories at affordable prices. In recent years, giants across various industries have ventured into the coffee business, from China Post to Li-Ning, Huawei, and NIO—coffee has become a popular choice for cross-industry expansion. Is Naobaijin's entry a path to rejuvenate its brand, or can it carve out a share in the fiercely competitive coffee market? This article will outline the features of Naobaijin's coffee shop and the industry trends in cross-industry coffee ventures. [more…]

Following the buzz generated by China Post opening a milk tea shop, Shanghai has now seen its first post office selling coffee. On September 17, the Tianping Road Post Office at 1883 Middle Huaihai Road was transformed into the Wukang Building-themed post office. While retaining its original postal services, it has introduced a café, a photo-op area, and a cultural and creative display zone, in collaboration with Qiao Coffee under the century-old Shanghai time-honored brand Qiaojiashan. Is the coffee at this post office actually good? Why does China Post frequently cross into the beverage sector? This article will analyze the details of the store renovation, the background of the partner brand, and the history of China Post's cross-industry ventures, and explore the underlying logic of time-honored brands seeking rejuvenation. [more…]

Coffee brands selling alcohol is no longer a novelty. From Starbucks to Seesaw, M Stand, and now Luckin Coffee registering a new company to venture into alcohol operations, the cross-industry wave in the beverage sector is intensifying. Tianyancha data shows that Luckin has established a new company in Xiamen, with its business scope covering alcohol operations, sparking widespread industry attention. This article sorts out Luckin's specific moves into alcohol and its trademark layout, reviews the daytime coffee, nighttime alcohol attempts by brands such as Starbucks, Seesaw, and M Stand, and analyzes the trend of beverage giants like Coca-Cola and Genki Forest entering the alcohol market. Finally, it uses industry data to reveal the rapid growth in the number of alcohol-related enterprises, exploring the opportunities and challenges behind cross-industry alcohol sales. [more…]

China Post's application for the "邮局咖啡 POST COFFEE" trademark was recently rejected, sparking widespread attention. Since the first store opened in Xiamen in February 2022, Post Coffee has expanded to four cities—Xiamen, Nanjing, Quanzhou, and Beijing—with six stores, focusing on a blend of postal nostalgia and cultural creativity. The co-founder had planned to open a hundred stores by the end of the year, but the trademark registration setback has led to widespread discussion online. Meanwhile, giants from various industries such as Li-Ning, Xtep, Tongrentang, and East Buy have entered the coffee sector. What are the prospects for cross-industry coffee ventures? This article reviews Post Coffee's expansion journey, product features, and trademark controversy, and takes stock of cross-industry dynamics in the industry. [more…]

In recent years, luxury brands branching out into coffee shops has become an undeniable trend. From Vivienne Westwood to Coach, from Dior to Tiffany, numerous high-end consumer brands have opened cafés or launched limited-time pop-ups in cities such as Shanghai and Beijing. These venues sell themselves on exquisite décor, branded-logo tableware, and photogenic desserts, with prices ranging from twenty yuan to over a hundred, attempting to close the distance with the general public through a cup of coffee. Yet consumer reviews are mixed: some find it worth the money, while others see the products as perfunctory and the pricing as artificially inflated. This article will examine the market logic and consumer response behind this phenomenon. [more…]

In recent years, domestic demand for coffee has continued to climb, attracting many brands to enter the fray across industry lines. New-style tea drink brand Lelecha has also launched an independent coffee brand—Doudoule—and opened its first store in Shanghai. Previously, tea drink brands such as Naixue Tea had already stepped into the coffee sector, and the integration of tea drinks and coffee is becoming a new industry trend. Doudoule continues Lelecha's strict quality requirements, launching products such as the Dirty series coffee, priced at 15-28 yuan. At the same time, Lelecha is continually closing the distance with young consumers through cross-industry marketing. This article will provide an in-depth analysis of Doudoule's features, market strategy, and the challenges it faces, and explore the prospects for tea drink brands expanding into coffee. [more…]

In recent years, cross-industry ventures have become a popular trend, and even century-old traditional Chinese medicine shops are joining the beverage market. Following Tongrentang, Tonghanchun Tang, with a history of 237 years, has also tested the waters of national-style wellness tea drinks in Shanghai Yuyuan Mall, launching over 30 beverages including wellness teas, fruit teas, milk teas, sparkling water, and coffee. Among them, the wellness milk tea incorporates ingredients such as ginseng, goji berries, and donkey-hide gelatin, while the two wellness coffees focus on American-style black coffee and ginseng honey latte, priced between 20 and over 30 yuan, with the most expensive bird's nest product exceeding 100 yuan. Whether these time-honored brands can win consumer favor through innovation is worth watching. [more…]

Rumors of a Starbucks China equity change that have circulated for nearly a year have finally produced a clear outcome. Starbucks and Boyu Capital have reached an agreement to establish a joint venture in China to jointly operate the retail business, with Boyu holding up to 60%, while Starbucks retains 40% and continues as the brand and intellectual property licensor. The deal is based on an enterprise value of approximately US$4 billion, and Starbucks expects the total value of its China retail business to exceed US$13 billion. Looking back at Starbucks' entry into China, from franchising to full direct operation, and now returning to a joint venture model, this shift has sparked widespread attention regarding its future direction. The new joint venture will continue to be headquartered in Shanghai, operate the existing more than 8,000 stores, and plans to gradually expand to 20,000. [more…]

Dai Wei, founder of ofo, saw his second entrepreneurial venture, About Time Coffee, reported to be on the verge of shutdown, with only one store left struggling to stay afloat in New York. This coffee chain brand, which once entered the US market with high cost-effectiveness and innovative products, expanded from five stores to four permanently closed in less than two years. Dai Wei tried to replicate Luckin Coffee's "burn money" playbook overseas but encountered difficulties adapting to local conditions. Meanwhile, more than 16 million users in China are still queuing to get their ofo deposits refunded, involving an amount as high as 1.5 billion yuan. The failure of this cross-industry entrepreneur once again brings public attention back to that unsettled debt and raises the question: is coffee entrepreneurship a trend or a trap? Front Street Coffee takes you through an in-depth analysis of the rise and fall of this cross-border venture. [more…]

Recently, a netizen in Shanghai discovered that a Manner Coffee had actually opened inside a Lianjia store, with the two brands sharing the same signboard—white and green each taking up half. Upon entering, one could see both Manner's inverted triangle logo and Lianjia's property listing boards. Was this Manner's attempt to expand into community channels, or had Lianjia taken a stake in the coffee brand? The answer was finally revealed when Lianjia's official WeChat account posted on April 7 confirming the official opening of this shared store at No. 184, Lane 100, Zhongtan Road. Manner has always chosen locations in core business districts or areas with dense office buildings. This time, moving its counter into a community and sharing space with a real estate agency has sparked quite a bit of discussion. Some are looking forward to it, some are joking about it, and others question whether the two consumption scenarios can truly integrate. This article takes you through the ins and outs of this cross-industry collaboration. [more…]

There is another new case of a domestic food and beverage brand crossing into coffee. Hefu Lao Mian has officially announced its coffee brand "Pick ME no Coffee & Hot Food" and has intensively applied for related trademarks, from "Hefu Yibei Coffee" to "CAFE PICK ME Coffee Convenience Store," making frequent moves. The brand is positioned to provide young people and office workers with good-tasting, affordable coffee, paired with quality hot food, in an attempt to create a new coffee consumption scenario. At the same time, brands such as Xtep and Nayuki Tea have also recently entered the coffee track, making cross-industry competition increasingly fierce. This article sorts out the details of Hefu Lao Mian's coffee layout and includes boutique bean information channels such as Front Street Coffee for coffee lovers' reference. [more…]

Following Li-Ning's launch of Ning Coffee, another sporting goods company has begun to stake out the coffee market. According to Qichacha, Xtep (China) Co., Ltd. has applied to register multiple coffee-related trademarks, covering categories such as food and beverage services and accommodations, convenience foods, and advertising and sales. In recent years, from tea beverage brands to time-honored traditional Chinese medicine brands, and from education companies to tech giants, cross-industry forays into coffee have emerged one after another. Is Xtep's move this time a continuation of its approach of innovating the in-store experience, or is it intended to open up an entirely new business territory? This article will review Xtep's coffee layout moves and look back at typical cases in recent years of brands from various industries crossing into coffee. [more…]