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Behind the price rise of Starbucks: many brands in the coffee industry compete for "cake"

Published: 2026-05-20 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/05/20, Starbucks' price adjustment has aroused heated discussion among many domestic consumers, and among many voices, there are not a few responses to Starbucks' high pricing. In fact, the price of Starbucks in China has always been higher than that in other countries, and a medium cup of Starbucks coffee is priced at 30-40 yuan in China. On the other hand, American consumers say that Starbucks belongs to daily consumption, all priced within $5.

The price adjustment of Starbucks has aroused heated discussion among many domestic consumers, and among the many voices, there are many responses that say "Starbucks pricing is high". In fact, the price of Starbucks in China has always been higher than that in other countries, and a medium cup of Starbucks coffee is priced at 30-40 yuan in China. On the other hand, American consumers say that Starbucks belongs to daily consumption, all priced under $5. As early as 2013, the media compared the prices of Starbucks medium lattes in Beijing, London, New York and Mumbai. It turns out that the price of Starbucks in Beijing is 27 yuan, which is higher than that in London (about 24 yuan) and Chicago (about 20 yuan). It is equivalent to twice the price of a store in Mumbai (about 14.6 yuan). Starbucks explained the price increase based on "local operating costs and market dynamics", including considerations such as rent, logistics, store facilities, manpower, product development and customer experience innovation. China's pricing strategy is long-term.

The Chinese market has always been one of the markets competed by foreign coffee chains. Starbucks accounted for 73.3% of the market share of Chinese high-quality coffee chains in 2015, followed by McCoffee of McDonald's, Costa Coffee of Whitbread Plc and Pacific Coffee of China Resources Entrepreneurship Co., Ltd, according to Euromonitor. But the market share of the three high-quality coffee chains in China is 9.3%, 9% and 3.9% respectively, far lower than that of Starbucks.

Starbucks, which clearly occupies the dominant position in the coffee market, is taking advantage of the market advantage to take advantage of the opportunity to lift all boats, and will it play a "leading role" to other brands? Looking at Chengdu, the leisurely urban atmosphere and consumption habits have nourished many chain coffee brands and minority coffee brands. what is the current situation and development model of these brands? in this battle for market share, how to win the favor of consumers by virtue of brand strategy?

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