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January 21, 2019

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Homegrown Luckin is giving Starbucks a lickin’

Source: AFP | 00:11 UTC+8 January 21, 2019 | Print Edition

When Starbucks came to China two decades ago it promised to open a new store every 15 hours.

Now a homegrown rival, Luckin Coffee, plans to build a high-tech driven shop every three and a half hours to dethrone the US giant.

The Chinese upstart is burning through millions of dollars to lure customers with steep discounts, challenging Starbucks' dominance by targeting office workers and students who prefer to have their java on-the-go or delivered to their doorstep.

While Starbucks and British rival Costa Coffee offer lounging spaces for people to work or meet friends, most Luckin outlets are more like “delivery kitchens.”

The shops are no bigger than a studio apartment, with no tables, display counters or even cash registers because all payments are made using mobile phones.

Luckin’s no-frills approach means consumers pay about a third less for a cup compared to other global brands. A tall-sized latte costs 31 yuan (US$5) at Starbucks, but only 24 yuan at Luckin.

Customers who walk into one of Luckin’s blue-and-white outlets need only spend a few minutes there — to scan a code and pay for their coffee that has been pre-ordered through the company’s smartphone app.

“I like the convenience, there are no long queues, or having to sit alone while your coffee is brewed,” said Yu Qian, a financial analyst in Beijing.

“The coffee itself is a little sweeter, more like the sweet milk tea that is popular in China.”

Luckin’s Chief Strategy Officer, Reinout Schakel said: “The big advantage for us of having pickup stores versus the big stores is that in terms of rental costs, we pay significantly less than our competitors.”

After only a year in business, the company announced plans earlier this month to open 2,500 outlets by the end of the year, which would push its total store strength to 4,500.

By comparison, Starbucks has about 3,600 stores across the country.

The US behemoth has an 80 percent stake in China’s US$3.4 billion coffee shop market, according to research group Euromonitor.

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