Tea & Coffee Industry Snapshot In China (January 5, 2026)

📉 Brand Contractions & Adjustments

Ucan Store Count Declines: According to the latest data, as of December 9, the operational store count for Yogurt Jar Jar was 571, showing a downward trend for two consecutive months. In the recent month (Nov. 8 – Dec. 9), it opened 14 new stores but closed 52, resulting in a net decrease of 38 stores. The number of closures far exceeded openings, making its thousand-store target evidently difficult to achieve.

Tims Closure Due to Lease Expiry: A netizen from Huzhou recently shared a store closure notice on social media, indicating that a Tims Tianhao Coffee store at Huzhou Aishan Plaza will officially close after business on January 4, 2026. Based on shared chat records, the reason for closure appears to be lease expiration.

📈 Expansion & Performance Highlights

CoCo’s Strong Growth with Single-Store Franchising: Recent company data shows that since opening single-store franchising in June 2024 and focusing on lower-tier markets, CoCo has established a presence in 66 cities across 19 provinces, with 20 cities being its first entry. During the New Year’s holiday, CoCo’s performance hit a five-year high, with a 15% year-over-year increase. Its coffee shop line averaged over 50 cups per store daily.

🎨 Product Launches & Collaborations

Ken’s Coffee (Jan. 1)

ntroduced Popcorn Butter Flavored Latte, blending smooth butter and popcorn aroma.

Cotti Coffee (Today)

Unveiled Salty French Cheese Vanilla Milk Tea, combining jasmine tea with French salty cheese. Also launched a “Buy 5 Get 1 Free” card offering a limited-edition co-branded silk scarf.

Manner (Jan. 4)

Released Salty Cheese Cocoa Latte, pairing fluffy salty cheese with rich cocoa.

Alittle Tea (Jan., Regional)

Launched “Good Persimmon A Little,” combining persimmon with six-scented jasmine green tea.