China Post Official Statement: Post Office Coffee Has No Franchise Stores! Can China Post Coffee Stores Be Franchised?

China's first post office coffee shop opened in Xiamen on February 14 this year. By February 16, the news had drawn widespread attention and was trending on Weibo. As an industry giant in China, China Post naturally commands a following, and that popularity has attracted people eager to franchise and run a "Post Office Coffee" store of their own.

As "Post Office Coffee" grew more popular, more and more people wanted to franchise it. Some netizens even left comments directly under the brand's Weibo account asking how to apply.

A quick search for "Post Office Coffee franchise" turns up plenty of such links. Recently, a growing number of units and individuals have been impersonating China Post, Xiamen Post, or Post Office Coffee to carry out fraudulent business activities.

Official Statement Against Fraudulent Activities

To keep more people from being deceived, official channels including China Post, Xiamen Post and Post Office Coffee issued statements clarifying that Post Office Coffee currently operates only company-owned stores and has never adopted a franchising model. Any franchising information circulating online is false. The companies involved also said they reserve the right to pursue legal action over unauthorized fraudulent business activities carried out by units and individuals online.

Authentic vs. Counterfeit

Clashes between genuine and copycat businesses happen from time to time. China Post's first Post Office Coffee opened in Xiamen, Fujian only days ago, yet in the comment sections of Coffee Workshop articles there are already comments dated earlier than 2022. According to those messages, the shops even use the same logo. Whether they are "authentic" or "counterfeit" remains unclear.

False franchising information like this lets lawbreakers profit handsomely while franchisees and consumers bear the cost. In recent days, many people may recall the case of a milk tea brand that spent 100 million yuan fighting counterfeits. Once a brand rises in popularity, copycats inevitably follow.

Trademark Issues

Meanwhile, Shanghai Zhongyu Kawa Management Consulting Co., Ltd., the partner that worked with China Post to open the Post Office Coffee shop, filed a trademark application in Class 43 at the end of September last year. As it stands, that trademark is listed as invalid.

So, is there a "Post Office Coffee" near your home?

Image source: Internet

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