AEON JUSCO Introduces Popular Japanese Coffee Brand to China! Is KOMEDA Coffee Good?

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AEON Partners with KOMEDA to Enter Hong Kong Coffee Market

According to media reports, AEON recently announced its collaboration with Japanese coffee brand KOMEDA to launch specialty stores in Hong Kong, with the first store opening on the 21st.岛武德, Chairman of AEON's Administrative Department and Corporate Finance Department, stated that plans include opening at least 10 stores in Hong Kong within the next three years.

This includes converting space in existing AEON General Merchandise Stores (GMS) and supermarkets into KOMEDA stores, as well as seeking suitable locations in shopping centers to open new stores. Additionally, the group will continue focusing on development in the Greater Bay Area, with goals including increasing the number of mainland stores from 136 at the end of March this year to 280.

AEON's Retail Empire

AEON Supermarket belongs to AEON Co., Ltd. Group, established in September 1926. It is a leading comprehensive retail and service enterprise group in Asia, with three major headquarters systems in Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. Primarily engaged in shopping centers and comprehensive retail operations, the group also operates specialty stores, financial services, property services, and convenience stores. Currently, AEON has approximately 300 companies and 19,094 stores worldwide (nearly 500 in China). It is one of Asia's largest department store retailers, ranking 100th on the Fortune Global 500 list in 2021. Since expanding operations in Hong Kong in 1985 and Guangzhou in 1996, under the guidance of group strategy, AEON China has been accelerating the overall growth rate of AEON Group in China.

KOMEDA'S Coffee: A Japanese Coffee Institution

KOMEDA'S Coffee is a full-service coffee chain originating from Nagoya, the birthplace of Japanese coffee shop culture. Since its establishment in 1968, it has gained immense popularity in Nagoya. Its mission is to provide customers with "the perfect place to relax," allowing them to enjoy their daily coffee moments with peace of mind, as if in their own living room, dedicated to creating a comfortable space like a family living room.

As of the end of February, KOMEDA'S Coffee operated 896 stores in Japan, making it a genuine Japanese veteran coffee brand. The number of stores ranks second only to Starbucks and Doutor in Japan, making it the third-largest coffee chain brand in Japan.

Retailers Entering the Coffee Market

Facing the rapidly developing coffee track in China, many supermarkets and convenience stores with advantages of having thousands of stores are testing the waters by launching or introducing coffee brands. According to incomplete statistics, 12 major convenience stores including FamilyMart, Lawson, 7-ELEVEn, Meiyijia, and C-Store have launched at least 13 coffee brands, with coffee prices ranging from a minimum of 6.9 yuan to a maximum of 24 yuan.

Just last month, Joyou, the convenience store of Sinopec gas stations, also collaborated with Tims Coffee to launch two new ready-to-drink coffee products, sold in Joyou convenience stores nationwide.

Tims Coffee officially entered the Chinese market in February 2019, opening its first store in Shanghai. Since then, it has been expanding through independent brand stores. At the end of last year, Tims Coffee stores entered Metro supermarkets, opening smaller-format Tims Go stores within Metro supermarkets, perhaps targeting daily consumer groups within supermarkets.

The Growing Coffee Market Landscape

In recent years, the coffee market has shown a booming trend. In major shopping centers, diverse coffee brands such as Starbucks, Pacific Coffee, and Peets Coffee are commonly found. Physical retail stores introducing coffee brands enhance shopping experiences while improving convenience, extending customer stay time, and increasing foot traffic.

Coffee brands entering supermarkets already come with their own traffic. Combined with the large and stable customer flow in supermarkets, whether focusing on coffee or primarily on beverages, desserts, and leisure, they can attract a group of customers.

However, in China's current coffee market, with the growing number of coffee brands and fierce competition in this diverse track, how many of them will survive long-term?

Image source: Internet

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