Chinese mainland tea chain Chagee will partner with Japanese company Sanrio to host a three-month Hello Kitty-themed pop-up campaign in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Featuring Hello Kitty crossover products and Hong Kong-exclusive beverages, the campaign will begin on Saturday, aiming to build deeper connections with Hong Kong shoppers while extending the brand’s fusion of traditional tea culture and contemporary trends.
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Chinese mainland tea chain Chagee will partner with Japanese company Sanrio to host a three-month Hello Kitty-themed pop-up campaign in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Featuring Hello Kitty crossover products and Hong Kong-exclusive beverages, the campaign will begin on Saturday, aiming to build deeper connections with Hong Kong shoppers while extending the brand’s fusion of traditional tea culture and contemporary trends.
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Eason Chen, general manager of Chagee Hong Kong and Macao, said that this is the first time the brand has rolled out such a comprehensive intellectual-property collaboration in Hong Kong.
The selected elements are tailored to the market’s characteristics, Chen said. Hong Kong residents enjoy Earl Grey tea, and Hello Kitty carries collective memories for many people in the city, he added. The IP products will also feature in an Earl Grey color palette, and the collaboration may be extended if market feedback is positive, he said.
Chen said that the brand has won widespread recognition in the city, and plans to deepen its localization strategy in the market. It may consider cooperating with local art-related projects and intangible cultural heritage items, drawing on its successful mainland experience working with over 20 ICH items, such as Guangdong province’s firework dragon dance and Shandong province’s traditional paper kites.
“We have no plan to raise product prices this year, and will offer various discounts when launching new products,” Chen said.
Apart from Chagee, other mainland tea brands, including Heytea, Mixue Ice Cream and Tea, Luckin Coffee, and Naixue’s Tea, have also expanded into Hong Kong in recent years, establishing their presence in core shopping districts like Mong Kok, Causeway Bay, and Central.
According to Invest Hong Kong, these brands are strategically using the city as an international showcase and testing ground to refine their global retail strategies before further expansion.
Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com
