Chinese coffee giant Cotti is expanding into Belgium

In its European offensive, the second largest coffee chain in China is opening a new commercial front in our country.

In China, the Luckin and Cotti chains have, for the past two years, stolen the spotlight from the American leader Starbucks. They've done so by flooding the market with ultra-low-priced drinks and opening outlets at a breakneck pace. To quickly put these two Chinese giants into context, it was the ousted co-founders of Luckin Coffee who launched Cotti.

Former leaders Lu Zhengyao and Qian Zhiyao had left their first company amid a financial scandal: suspicions of falsified accounts to embellish growth resulted in the company being excluded from the Nasdaq and a $180 million settlement with the SEC .

The challenger's meteoric rise

Since opening its first store in Fuzhou, the Cotti chain has experienced meteoric growth, boasting 5,000 coffee shops across China in less than a year. In the summer of 2023, Cotti began its international expansion, starting with South Korea, and now has a presence in 28 markets worldwide. With over 18,000 locations globally, the Chinese upstart ranks as the third-largest coffee chain, behind Starbucks and Luckin, and ahead of Dunkin'.

In addition to its ideally located urban shops, often near busy business districts, Cotti distinguishes itself with an aggressive pricing strategy (significantly lower than foreign competitors), with strong promotions, as well as a mobile-first approach, its app encouraging takeaway, delivery or quick payments.

Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent... six openings in two months

Already established in the German and British markets, the Beijing-based company has recently accelerated its European expansion, with symbolic first locations in Paris and projects underway in Amsterdam. Cotti is multiplying its points of sale in major metropolitan areas, favoring capital cities and economic hubs with high traffic volumes, in order to test and refine its model.

In this context, Belgium seemed a natural extension. And so it has come to pass: Cotti Coffee is establishing itself in several cities here simultaneously. "We already have six outlets planned, which will open within the next two months at the most," explains the brand's regional representative to L'Echo , specifying Brussels (2), Antwerp (2), Ghent, and Namur.

This would only be the beginning, according to the financial daily, as Cotti Coffee has big ambitions in this Belgian market, which has been abandoned by Costa Coffee (the coffee chain of the giant Coca-Cola) and where Starbucks has a lead of around thirty locations.