- The Beijing-based coffee chain’s long-awaited US launch comes five years after it was delisted from the Nasdaq over fraudulent sales
- Luckin offered all beverages for $1.99 when ordered through its app on opening day, highlighting its focus on discounting and promotions
- The business currently operates over 24,000 sites in China, 60 in Singapore and 24 in Malaysia
Chinese coffee giant Luckin Coffee has landed in the US with two stores in New York.
The Beijing-based coffee chain, which operates over 24,000 sites in its home market, confirmed plans for a ‘disciplined’ US launch in October 2024 and has kick-started US operations on two of the busiest thoroughfares in Manhattan – Broadway and Sixth Avenue.
Luckin, known for its focus on mobile ordering and heavy discounting, is widely seen as a direct rival to Seattle-based Starbucks – which it overtook as China’s largest branded coffee chain by outlets in 2022 and sales in 2023.
However, Luckin will also provide new competition for fast-growing US chains Dutch Bros and 7 Brew, which have built strong Gen Z consumer bases with business models focused on convenience, speed-of-service and beverage customisation.
Luckin’s US menu features some of the most popular beverages from its home market, including coconut, velvet and little butter lattes as well as juice-infused americanos, cold brews and matcha ranges. The Chinese coffee chain offered all beverages for $1.99 when ordered through its app on opening day.
Luckin’s US debut also sees the brand engage with domestic rival Cotti Coffee outside of East Asia for the first time. Cotti, founded in 2022 by former Luckin executives Charles Lu and Jenny Qian, opened a store in Hawaii in May 2024 and expanded to the US mainland two months later with an outlet in California. The low-cost chain, which has roughly 13,000 stores in China, currently operates nine US sites – including three in New York.
Founded in 2017, Luckin’s small-format store network, which includes dark kitchens and delivery-only sites, mobile ordering and reward scheme discounting, has enabled it to rapidly expand in its home market while keeping operational costs low. The Beijing-based coffee chain achieved group revenues of RMB 34.5bn ($4.7bn) in 2024 and reported 41% year-on-year sales growth in the first quarter of 2025 to reach RMB 8.8bn ($1.2bn).
Representing a remarkable turnaround for Luckin, the company’s US launch comes five years after it was delisted from the Nasdaq stock exchange over fraudulent sales totalling RMB2.2bn (US$310m).
The US is Luckin’s third international market after Singapore and Malaysia, where it operates 60 and 24 stores, respectively.
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