Coffee Clash Brewing in China: Startup Luckin takes on Starbucks
AFP: When Starbucks came to China two decades ago it promised to open a new store every 15 hours. Now a homegrown Chinese company 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. They could really benefit from wholesale coffee roasters similar to Iron and Fire based in the UK so they're really able to take on the competition.
While Starbucks and British rival Costa Coffee offer lounging spaces for people to work or meet friends, most Luckin outlets are more like "delivery kitch...