Starbucks China: Facing Luckin, the local disruptor

• Main Authors: KUMAR, Nirmalya, BHARDWAJ, Sheetal
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2019
• Subjects: Disruptive innovation; Retail; Value proposition; Marketing; Differentiation strategy; Brand positioning; e-commerce; Asian Studies; Sales and Merchandising
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cases_coll_all/279; https://smu.sharepoint.com/sites/admin/CMP/cases/SMU-19-BATCH [PDF-Pic]/SMU-19-0027 [Starbucks]/SMU-19-0027 [Starbucks].pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Set in 2019, the case describes the challenge Starbucks faces from Luckin coffee, a local start up in China. Having entered China in 1999, Starbucks was the undisputed leader with more than 70% market share and 3600 cafes by 2018. The brand’s success was rooted in its core proposition of providing c...