Will you continue to drink Starbucks to domestic coffee?

Every reporter Yuan Dong Zeng Zijian

"I'm not at Starbucks. I'm on my way to Starbucks." This sentence is said by many coffee lovers. In China, it seems to drink a cup of Starbucks coffee, immediately become a petty bourgeoisie, immediately have a "high-end" image. However, if some of Starbucks' products will be made domestically, are you still willing to spend dozens of yuan on a cup?

Today, Starbucks announced a partnership with Hong Shifu (00322 HK) to develop China's ready-to-drink coffee and energy drinks market, and will launch Starbucks bottled Frappuccino drinks with existing and new flavors in China in 2016. This series of products will be produced by Master Kang's production line in China.

So, will you continue to like the Starbucks made by Master Kang?

Starbucks holding hands, Master Kang.

In fact, anyone familiar with Starbucks knows that. In addition to a variety of freshly ground coffee, Starbucks also sells bottled coffee and instant coffee, and even launches Starbucks-branded zongzi and moon cakes on China's Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival to cater to the spending habits of Chinese consumers.

According to an announcement issued by Master Kang on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange today, Starbucks will be responsible for product research and innovation, as well as brand development in the cooperation between Starbucks and Master Kang. Master Kang will be responsible for the production and sale of Chinese mainland ready-to-drink beverages. China's ready-to-drink coffee and energy drinks market is currently worth $6 billion (37.2 billion yuan) and is expected to grow by a further 20 per cent over the next three years, according to Mr Kang.

On this cooperation, John Culver, president of Starbucks China and Asia Pacific Business Group, said: "We are pleased to work with Master Kang, China's leading ready-to-drink manufacturer, to help Starbucks tap the great potential of China's ready-to-drink market." expand local market demand. " Wei Junxian, CEO of Kang Shifu, also believes that the cooperation with Starbucks will further enrich Kang Shifu's beverage product portfolio in the Chinese market, thus bringing more high-quality and portable consumer choices and experiences to consumers.

The capital market is also optimistic about the cooperation between Starbucks and Master Kang. Kang Shifu's shares opened high today, opening at HK $18.88, up 2.83 per cent from yesterday's closing price. In addition, Starbucks shares hit an all-time high of $95.84 yesterday.

Do you still drink high-priced coffee when you become a homemade one?

In fact, Starbucks has been growing rapidly since it entered the Chinese market. At present, it operates more than 1500 stores in nearly 90 cities in China. According to Starbucks' annual report, the number of net stores opened at Starbucks was second only to the North American market, reaching 823 in the year ended September 28, 2014.

A reporter from the Daily Business News learned that in this cooperation, the Starbucks products that Master Kang will produce in the future are mainly bottled Frappuccinos, which are currently available in a variety of flavors, not only in Starbucks stores, but also in major supermarkets. It is worth noting that at present, the bottle is marked "country of Origin: United States", with a retail price of about 22.8 yuan.

In addition, the current price of a medium cup of Starbucks staple caramel macchiato is 31 yuan (Chengdu market price). It is worth noting that a bottle of vanilla bottled Frappuccino from Wal-Mart in the United States costs $3.6 (22.3 yuan). As we all know, Starbucks' relatively high price of coffee has always been a controversial topic, and even some foreigners have complained that Starbucks in China is too expensive.

So now the question is, will you still buy such high-priced coffee after Starbucks bottled Frappuccino is made in China?

In order to answer this question, a reporter from the Daily Business News interviewed some Starbucks consumers at random, and their attitudes were different.

Ms. S: Ah, does Starbucks want to be made in China? Now hurry to buy a bottle of American origin to collect, there will be no more, they are all made in China. That's a nice bottle. You can grow flowers after drinking it.

Mr. L: what I want to drink is Starbucks. If it becomes made by Master Kang, I'd rather choose Nestl é.

Consumer Miss Y: what I care about is the taste and brand of Starbucks. Even if it is produced by Master Kang, I will continue to spend.

Mr. Z: if the price of bottled Frappuccino made in China is reduced, it is still acceptable. If the price remains the same, other options may be made. "

Mr. T, the consumer, said, "I want to drink coffee from Starbucks, not from Master Kang."

Ms. Z: if the price of Starbucks remains the same, it is really only to buy Master Kang.

Mr. C: for example, imported cars are made domestically. If the same model is chosen, if the price goes down and the configuration does not change, it is estimated that there will be more domestication; if the price remains the same, it will still be imported.

And whether this cooperation with Master Kang is conducive to improving Starbucks' operational efficiency, or affecting Starbucks' goodwill, a reporter from the Daily Business News called Starbucks' head of public relations in China. She said that the cooperation between Starbucks and Master Kang is to tap the potential market of China's large ready-to-drink coffee and energy drinks, and the price of bottled Frappuccino produced by Master Kang will also be determined according to the situation at that time. And continue to maintain the brand value of Starbucks with high requirements.

Source: per network

Responsible editor: du Yu