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Reference News reported on July 16 According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post website on July 14, as the Paris Olympics is about to open, the Chinese brand Heytea has opened its first pop-up store in Paris, marking the latest step in the international expansion plan of the new tea beverage company.

"We hope to use one store to test local customers' preferences," said Gu Yujia, vice president of strategy for the Shenzhen-based company.

The pop-up store was launched by Heytea in collaboration with the trendy Chinese restaurant chain Baozi Family. Heytea currently has thousands of stores in China and around the world. Under its ambitious international plans, the company has already opened stores in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea.

Overseas markets are an important opportunity for Chinese retail brands like Heytea to expand revenue and realize their brand vision. Gu Yujia said the company has achieved better-than-expected results in some markets. For example, it opened seven stores in the UK and added stores in Southeast Asia and North America. In December 2023, its first store in New York sold more than 2,500 cups on the first day.

Heytea's overseas expansion comes at a time when competition in China's new-style tea drinks market is becoming increasingly fierce, and the market size may exceed 200 billion yuan in 2025, according to an industry report jointly released by the China Chain Store Association and Meituan.

Heytea is not the only company expanding overseas. Nayuki’s Tea Holdings Ltd., a bubble tea company listed in Hong Kong in 2021, opened its first store in Thailand at the end of 2023. According to its financial report released in March, the company will continue to promote overseas expansion.

Relevant surveys show that about one-third of Chinese retail brands expressed their desire to open stores in other countries.

Gu Yujia said that the main challenge facing the brand is to adapt to the target market environment while maintaining the brand characteristics. In foreign markets, Heytea's business model of using high-quality ingredients and open kitchens will continue to attract its target audience, and the company's joint products with other popular companies will also help keep the brand "young".

Gu Yujia also pointed out the similarities between Chinese consumers and those in overseas markets - both prefer "fruit tea with a crisp taste".

Customers line up outside a Mixue Ice City store in Mong Kok to order food on March 23. (Xinhua)