On April 22, two distinct scenes unfolded simultaneously in China's new tea drink sector.
In Shenzhen, Tea Yan Yuese, the brand famously "slow" from Changsha, opened two new stores at Shenzhen Bay MixC and MixC World. As expected, long, zigzagging queues formed, with scalpers' prices remaining high. Notably, the staff on duty this time were not just enthusiastic employees but also cold, "fully automated robotic arm milk tea machines," attempting to carve a new path in the "city of efficiency."
Across the ocean, in a different capital narrative, the U.S.-listed company Chagee Holdings Limited is intensively preparing to land in Seoul, South Korea, this quarter (Q2). According to internal sources, the Gangnam store in Seoul is scheduled to officially open on April 30. Additionally, two more stores are in preparation, located in Yongsan I'Park Mall and Sinchon University District. This marks its 8th overseas market after Southeast Asia and North America, with overseas GMV surging at a staggering rate of over 75% quarter-on-quarter.
These two developments precisely outline two survival states for Chinese physical consumer brands in the "post-listing era": one is "technological defense," and the other is "capital expansion overseas."
Chagee Holdings Limited: Using "U.S. Dollar Ammunition" to Conquer "Global Levels" For Chagee, which is already listed on Nasdaq, going global is not a choice but a necessity. The capital market craves a boundless growth story.
According to the aforementioned sources at Chagee, by the end of 2025, the company had 345 overseas stores, with Q4 overseas GMV reaching 370 million yuan, a sharp increase of 84.6% year-on-year. Senior executives revealed that in markets like Malaysia, its single-store model is even performing faster than in China. This "overseas is more fragrant" data is a key chip supporting its U.S. stock valuation. Undoubtedly, the prototype of a data-driven second growth curve has already been outlined.
It is reported that this entry into South Korea, choosing the bustling Gangnam district in Seoul, has a very clear intent—no longer catering only to the Chinese community but directly challenging South Korea's local coffee culture and idol economy. This requires extremely strong supply chain resilience and brand confidence, which are closely tied to the funds raised from its U.S. IPO last year.
In the eyes of market observers, Chagee's strategy is a classic case of "exchanging capital for space." Since the intense competition domestically is hard to curb, it uses U.S. dollar capital as fuel to plant the flag of Chinese tea drinks worldwide. Its logic is the "logic of doing business"—standardization, replicability, and high growth.
Tea Yan Yuese: Using "Robotic Arms" for "Extreme Survival" in Shenzhen In contrast, Tea Yan Yuese's moves seem somewhat "tragic" and "pragmatic." As one of the few unlisted "lone rangers," it faces no pressure from external capital but also lacks the fuel for rapid expansion.
The biggest highlight of Tea Yan's expansion this time is not the queues but the robotic arms.
This self-developed equipment can complete grabbing a cup, adding ingredients, and handing over the drink within 30 seconds, leaving only the manual task of adding toppings. This may indicate a tactical shift—in cities with high labor costs, its proud "human wave tactics" (verification, promotional shouting, tasting) are too expensive. It must use technological means to improve efficiency without diluting the taste.
Tea Yan insiders candidly stated that coming to Shenzhen is to "find Hunanese people." This is not a joke but reflects its "local deep cultivation" strategy. Before planning to build a global presence like Chagee, Tea Yan must first prove it can survive in the high-pressure domestic market most resembling an "overseas" environment (Shenzhen).
The application scenario of "robotic arms" reveals Tea Yan Yuese's strategy as "technological defense." It is undergoing a difficult evolution from a "humanistic artist" to a "tech artisan." Its logic is the "logic of building a brand"—survive first, then talk about the distant future.
Two Trends: Who Represents the Future? Looking at a comparison table:
In fact, through the comparison in the table above, it should be said that there is no superiority or inferiority between the two brands, only different stages.
Chagee has moved past the "survival" stage and entered the capital game of "seeking growth"; while Tea Yan Yuese is still fighting for "survival," with opening stores in Shenzhen being a life-and-death battle to solve the pain points of the direct operation model through technological means.
For investors, Chagee's story is more attractive; for consumers, Tea Yan's perseverance is more touching.
But business is ruthless. Ultimately, the brand that can go further may be the one that can use robotic arms to defend the bottom line of quality while also setting sail globally with capital.
Tea Yan Yuese's "robotic arms" today may be the prerequisite for its future "overseas expansion." And Chagee's "conquest" in Seoul's Gangnam is the ticket to globalization bought with its U.S. stock capital.
One is diligently honing internal skills, the other is reaping dividends. This is the most authentic dual reflection of China's physical chain stores in 2026.
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