Tim Hortons China and Tencent E-Sports Open Joint Store in Shanghai

Tim Hortons China announced its opening of another joint store with Tencent E-Sports in Shanghai on August 3. This is the second joint store opened by the pair in Shanghai and the third joint store opened in China, aiming to provide an immersive experience combining e-sports and coffee for younger generations.

The newly opened store retains the classic warm design of Tim Hortons and introduces more e-sports elements. In the store, customers can enjoy special drinks while watching e-sports competitions.

In 2020, the two sides opened the first e-sports joint store in Shanghai, then opened a second one in Shenzhen in 2021. Pursuing a new commercial mode, e-sports co-branded stores have become a popular place for young consumers, also enriching consumption patterns of the coffee industry.

Hou Miao, the vice president of Tencent Games and general manager of Tencent E-sports, said: “The cooperation between Tencent E-Sports and Tim Hortons China has explored a new model for the industry. We look forward to building more digital scenarios with Tim Hortons China in more cities in the future. We will also continue to iterate the e-sports digital experience and inject innovative content into offline stores.”

Tim Hortons China, a regional subsidiary of the well-known Canadian chain, was founded with the support of private equity firm Cartesian Capital and Restaurant Brands International. The company is committed to bringing classic coffee, warm food and baking products to one of the fastest growing coffee markets in the world.

Tim Hortons China had planned to increase its number of stores nationwide to more than 2,750 from 2019 to 2026, also establishing a “profitable chain network.” In the past three years, it has entered 25 cities in China, and the number of new stores opened in 2021 exceeded 250.

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Lu Yongchen, CEO of Tim Hortons China, said the following during a recent exclusive interview with CNR: “In Europe and America, the average per capita demand for coffee is about 700 cups a year. In Japan and South Korea with similar culture and diet with China, the per capita annual coffee consumption is several hundred cups. The average annual consumption of coffee by Chinese people still stays in single digits. It can be predicted that this will be a huge market.”