China Post's "POSTCOFFEE" Trademark Application Rejected

China Post's "Post Coffee" Trademark Application Rejected

Recently the Tianyancha App showed that the trademark process for several "Post Office Coffee POST COFFEE" trademarks applied for by China Post Group Co., Ltd. has changed to the issuance of a rejection notice. The trademark was applied for on April 1, 2022, with international classifications covering convenient food, catering and accommodation, and alcohol.

Everyone knows how much a trademark matters, and registration is not something that happens overnight; the application process takes a long cycle. When a carefully designed trademark is rejected during registration, the frustration is easy to imagine. That is where Post Office Coffee finds itself now.

According to reports, in February this year China Post's first coffee shop officially opened in the Guomao Building in Xiamen, Fujian, marking its formal entry into the coffee market. Post Office Coffee then launched in three cities, Xiamen, Nanjing and Quanzhou, before entering Beijing at the end of July. In just half a year it has gradually built 6 stores across 4 cities nationwide. This is Post Office Coffee's first independent coffee store separate from a traditional post office hall, and also its first step into a first-tier city.

Post Office Coffee's products include basics such as americano and latte as well as several specialty coffee drinks, priced from 12.8 yuan a cup to 28.8 yuan a cup. The cultural and creative area displays China Post postcards, envelopes, cups and other postal merchandise, along with tea and various flavoured cakes and desserts, drawing plenty of consumers. The semi-open store is full of postal elements: slightly old-fashioned mailman bicycles, green mailboxes paired with a steaming cup of Post Office Coffee, a perfect fusion of postal service and coffee.

Traditional Industry Meets Modern Coffee Culture

Li Wenyao, director of China Post's Wangjing Post Office Branch in Chaoyang District, said, "Traditional industries need fresh vitality. We hope to use the form of Post Office Coffee to inject postal culture and elements into it, and let more young people understand post office culture."

The coffee track keeps running hot, and China Post's test of a new business format is up and running. For many years the daily lives of Chinese people have been tied up with postal services. Playing this nostalgia card has already turned some China Post coffee stores into internet-famous check-in spots, which suggests the approach might work. Now that media reports of the trademark rejection have emerged, some netizens have voiced their support: "Why was it rejected?" "Such comprehensive business coverage is quite good!" "A post office opening a coffee shop, I think it is great! Next time I go to Xiamen I have to try it!"

Expansion Plans and Market Challenges

Dong Kexin, co-founder and CMO of Post Office Coffee, said in a media interview that the brand currently focuses on three types of locations: CBD stores, scenic area stores and campus stores. She added, "In the future we will continue to deploy across the national market, accelerate store expansion, and plan to open 100 stores by the end of the year."

Now netizens are pointing out the contradiction: "After so much marketing, the trademark still has not been approved. Are these brother units slapping each other in the face?" "Why would a perfectly good postal service register a coffee trademark? I do not understand." "I do not see how postal service and coffee are connected."

Cross-Industry Trend in the Coffee Market

The coffee market boom keeps drawing interest, and China Post is not the only one applying for coffee trademarks. Li-Ning, Xtep and even Tongrentang have joined in, and there were reports about Huawei applying for coffee trademarks as well. Just yesterday, media reported that Oriental Selection and HeFu Noodles are also applying for trademark registration. All of these coffee trademark applications still show "waiting for substantive examination."

All kinds of industries are moving into coffee. Is it really that easy? From Xtep, Li-Ning, China Post and Tongrentang to Oriental Selection and HeFu Noodles, giants from every walk of life are opening coffee shops across industries. Which one are you more optimistic about?

Image source: Internet

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