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Mainland China ice cream and tea chain Mixue Ice Cream & Tea has shuttered its Nathan Road branch in Tsim Sha Tsui and its Yuen Long outlet, triggering discussion on social media in mainland China and Hong Kong over whether the brand's ultra-low pricing model can survive in the city.
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The Nathan Road branch, located on the ground floor of Alpha House, has been stripped of signage, with equipment inside covered in black cloth and a leasing notice posted at the entrance. According to Sing Tao Headline, a sister publication of The Standard, the 613-square-foot unit is listed at a monthly rent of HK$288,000, meaning the outlet would have needed to sell roughly 32,000 cups of its HK$9 fresh lemon water each month just to cover rent.
The two closures follow the earlier shutdown of the chain's branch at Kings Wing Plaza 1 in Shek Mun, bringing the total number of closures in the city to at least three. Mixue Ice Cream & Tea, often dubbed the "Pinduoduo of milk tea" on the mainland, entered Hong Kong in December 2023 and expanded to nine outlets within its first year, including two in Mong Kok located about 300 metres apart.
Online reaction has been swift. Some mainland visitors said they were surprised by the closure, noting the shop appeared busy shortly beforehand, while mainland students in Hong Kong said they would miss the affordable options. Some users questioned product quality, saying the drinks tasted of concentrate rather than fresh fruit. Others attributed the closures to Hong Kong's high operating costs — low margins, high rent, high labour costs, it's a dead end, as one netizen put it.
