The first Stain Luckin Coffee series opened in the first two American sites this week, betting that only mobile requests and creative flavors can offer customers away from Starbucks.
Located in Manhattan and on Midtown on Wednesday, SAM LIU took a sip of the cold Yasmine drink.
She said, “I have never tried anything like him.”
I only thought I was asking the meter, but I realized that everyone was standing around their phones.
Luckin Sam Liu, New York City
Liu said she was hoping to get more seats-the small store contained only three tables-and it was initially confused through the Luckin request system in the application, which means that customers cannot ask directly from Parista.
“I thought I was just asking for the table, but I realized that everyone was standing around their phones,” Liu said.
Luckin is the largest chain of coffee in China, with more than twice the number of sites like Starbucks there. They are two stores in New York City, the first invasion outside Asia, where there are more than 24,000 locations all over the region. In comparison, there are more than 17,000 Starbucks in the United States.
Its CEO, Jenny, described the United States as a “strategic important market” to expand the company in A. press release She loves the two new sites on Wednesday. “We are excited to provide a varied and unique coffee experience for American consumers.”
The company, which did not respond to the request, promoted its ambitions to expand worldwide but did not publicly detail its next movements in the United States or other markets.
The series gained success abroad through creative drinks such as alcohol -filled coffee and fruit screens, as well as the application model centered on smartphones. “The application -based approach makes it easy to track inventory, send personal calls to consumers and quickly serve drinks, said John Zolidis, an analyst who follows the Luckin and Starbucks.
He said: “Luckin was able to develop an incredible muscle regarding the innovation of products, and they were very creative in China.”
Zolidis said how Luckin depends on Starbucks herb on its ability to distinguish between its list of other major American coffee chains and smaller and independent cafes. Its US formation already includes distinctive drinks such as cold blood drink, cold wine and coconut screens.
“These orange drinks, or one of the most successful, the Latte coconut cloud – is how it is manifested [customers] From the United States, Zolidis said.
Luckin faced financial problems during the epidemic. He was removed from the Nasdaq Stock Exchange in 2020 after his shares dropped after an internal investigation. Fake revenue reports. The company has applied for bankruptcy in the United States the following year, but it came out of the procedures in 2022 and its sales have increased since then, reaching $ 4.7 billion worldwide in the fiscal year 2024, an increase of 38.4 % over 2023.
Luckin was able to develop an incredible muscle in terms of creating products, and they were very creative in China.
John Zolidis, Founder, Quo Vadis Capital
In contrast, Starbucks struggle in both the United States and China. Her sales in the same store in the United States 2 % fell and its sales in China 8 % in the fiscal year 2024And It was mentioned in April Its separation profit was half of what she pulled for the same period last year. According to the Seattle -based series Looking to sell her business in part in China With the renewal of its American strategy to focus on customer experience and human communication, unlike the Luckin model.
“We deviated from, I think, possessing the idea of” third place “, the café experience, while making sure that the customer was at the forefront and the center,” Brian Nicole, CEO of Starbucks I told NBC News in June.
A Starbucks spokesman rejected the comment.
Zolidis said that while Starbucks aim in both the United States and China to attract customers looking for high -end coffee in an attractive environment, Luckin has succeeded in putting himself as “coffee every man” in China, with low prices, small interfaces, and seizure facades.
After taking the train from Hobokin, New Jersey, to check the new in the city center, Samantha Koy said the trip was worth it. She had had a luck in China previously and was keen to ask for a fruit drink.
“I am surprised by Starbucks, he did not try to bring this to the United States,” Koy said. “I hope they remain open.”
Zolidis said he believed Lukin is in a good position to get a foothold in America.
“They managed to work and grow incredibly quickly in the Chinese market,” said Zolidis. “They will not come here to try it if they do not think they have a snapshot to own a market.”
