Chinese ‘new-style’ tea hits Paris as Tencent-backed Heytea opens shop on eve of Olympics

Heytea, a Chinese brand backed by Tencent Holdings and Temasek, has opened its first pop-up store in Paris, marking the latest step in an international expansion plan for the so-called new-style tea company amid fierce domestic competition.

“The foreign customers’ recognition is our primary consideration,” said Gu Yujia, vice-president of the Shenzhen-based company. “We want to use a single store to test the local customers’ preferences and fix any issues.”

The opening of the Paris pop-up store, in partnership with the trendy Chinese restaurant chain BAO Family, coincides with the 2024 Olympics.

Founded in 2012, Heytea now has more than 4,000 stores in more than 300 cities in China and globally. Under its ambitious international plans, the company has already established a presence in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea.

“The overseas market is an important opportunity for Chinese retail brands like Heytea to expand their income and put the brand’s vision into practice,” Gu said.

The company has achieved better-than-expected results in some markets, according to Gu. For example, it has seven stores in the UK and has added additional stores in Southeast Asia and North America. Its first New York store sold 2,500 cups on its first day in December 2023.

The company’s overseas expansion comes amid fierce competition in China’s new-style tea market, which is likely to surpass 200 billion yuan (US$27.6 billion) in 2025, according to an industry report jointly released by the China Chain Store & Franchise Association and e-commerce platform Meituan.