Our answer
Mixue 蜜雪冰城
China’s biggest drinks chain; Luckin leads coffee
The short answer
Mixue (蜜雪冰城) is China’s biggest drinks chain, with about 64,000 stores by mid-2026 counting its Lucky Cup coffee shops. In tea, Goodme and Shanghai Auntie follow with more than 13,000 each. In coffee, Luckin leads with 36,310 stores, followed by Cotti; Starbucks has about 8,000.
| Biggest tea chain | Mixue 蜜雪冰城 (~64,000 stores incl. Lucky Cup) |
|---|---|
| Biggest coffee chain | Luckin 瑞幸 (36,310 stores) |
| Starbucks China | 8,011 stores; 60% now owned by Boyu Capital |
| Tea and coffee shops in China | More than 950,000 |
| Average spend per drink order | ¥17.4 (2024) |
How we know
4 signals · SourcedTea stores
Mixue Group had 63,987 stores, Goodme 14,351 and Shanghai Auntie 13,120 in their mid-2026 results. [1]
STRONGCoffee stores
Luckin had 36,310 stores at the end of June 2026 and 112.7 million monthly customers. [3]
STRONGStarbucks
Starbucks had 8,011 stores in China at the end of December 2025; a Boyu Capital fund now owns 60% of its China business. [5]
STRONGMarket
China had more than 950,000 made-to-order drink shops in 2025, including about 650,000 tea shops and more than 280,000 coffee shops. [7]
STRONGThe biggest milk tea chains
Store counts from each company’s results for the first half of 2026.[1][2][8]
| Rank | Chain | Chinese | Stores | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mixue | 蜜雪冰城 | 63,987 (group, incl. Lucky Cup) | Very cheap ice cream, lemonade and milk tea; snowman mascot |
| 2 | Goodme | 古茗 | 14,351 | Fruit teas, from Zhejiang |
| 3 | Shanghai Auntie | 沪上阿姨 | 13,120 | Milk tea and fruit tea |
| 4 | Chabaidao | 茶百道 | 8,863 | Fruit tea and milk tea, from Chengdu |
| 5 | CHAGEE | 霸王茶姬 | 7,639 | Fresh-brewed milk tea; listed in New York |
| 6 | Nayuki | 奈雪的茶 | 1,685 | Larger shops with bakery |
| — | HEYTEA | 喜茶 | Not published | Premium tea; known for cheese-foam tea |
Mixue’s total includes its Lucky Cup coffee shops and Fulujia beer shops. HEYTEA is private and does not report store numbers.
The biggest coffee chains
| Rank | Chain | Chinese | Stores | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luckin | 瑞幸 | 36,310 | 30 June 2026 |
| 2 | Cotti | 库迪 | More than 15,000 | Mid-2026 |
| 3 | Lucky Cup | 幸运咖 | More than 10,000 | End of 2025 |
| 4 | Starbucks | 星巴克 | 8,011 | 28 December 2025 |
| 5 | Tims China | Tims天好咖啡 | 1,028 | 30 June 2026 |
| — | Manner, M Stand, Costa | Not published |
Lucky Cup belongs to Mixue Group. Luckin’s total includes a small number of shops in Singapore, Malaysia and the US.
Why the chains got so big, and what is changing
Most of these chains grow through franchising, opening thousands of small, cheap-to-run shops, many of them for pickup and delivery only. More than 40% of made-to-order drinks are now sold through delivery apps. Competition has pushed prices down: the average spend per order fell from ¥21.6 in 2023 to ¥17.4 in 2024.
Growth is slowing. Tea-shop numbers have levelled off at about 650,000, and closures are rising: in the first half of 2026 Mixue closed 1,289 franchise stores and Goodme 521. Coffee is still expanding faster, with shop numbers up 17.9% in a year to August 2025, led by Luckin and Cotti.[2][7]
Questions readers ask
What is the biggest milk tea chain in China?
Mixue (蜜雪冰城), with 63,987 group stores in mid-2026 including its Lucky Cup coffee shops.
Is Luckin bigger than Starbucks in China?
Yes, by far: 36,310 Luckin stores at the end of June 2026 against 8,011 Starbucks stores at the end of 2025.
Who owns Starbucks China?
Since April 2026 a fund managed by Boyu Capital owns 60% of Starbucks’ China retail business; Starbucks keeps 40% and owns the brand.
Is CHAGEE popular?
Yes. CHAGEE (霸王茶姬) had 7,639 stores in its 2026 interim results and is listed in New York; its overseas sales more than doubled in the second quarter of 2026.
Sources
- Huxiu, tea chains’ 2026 interim results: store counts (31 August 2026, in Chinese) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- Hangzhou News, Tea chains’ first-half 2026 results: openings and closures (1 September 2026, in Chinese) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- Luckin Coffee, second quarter 2026 financial results · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- Huxiu, China’s coffee chains in 2026: Luckin, Cotti, Starbucks, Lucky Cup (15 August 2026, in Chinese) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- 10jqka, Starbucks completes Boyu joint venture; 8,011 stores in China (3 April 2026, in Chinese) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- Tims China, second quarter 2026 financial results (18 August 2026) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- Huxiu / Hongcan, China restaurant brand white paper 2025 (26 September 2025, in Chinese) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- Winshang, Nayuki 2026 interim results: 1,685 stores (28 August 2026, in Chinese) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
Update log. 25 October 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 25 December 2026. Suggest a correction