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SHENZHEN, CHINA – 2020/10/05: Chinese coffee shop chain Luckin Coffee logo seen at a store. (Photo by Alex Tai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images

Chinese coffee giant Luckin Coffee hit 10,000 stores in China in June, surpassing Starbucks as the largest coffee chain brand in the country following rapid nationwide expansion this year.

Founded in 2017, Luckin Coffee burst onto the Chinese coffee scene to challenge Starbucks through affordable coffee options and mobile ordering. China is Starbucks’ second-largest market after the U.S.

Luckin Coffee grew to 10,829 stores in China at the end of June, surpassing Starbucks as the largest coffee chain brand in the country following what one analyst calls an “aggressive” expansion. In comparison, Starbucks operated 6,480 stores in mainland China at the end of the second quarter.

“They are very aggressive in store expansion and in China, it is very common to buy a drink from Luckin for $2 or less after heavy discounts,” said Jianggan Li, founder and CEO of tech research company Momentum Works.

Luckin stores are also of a smaller format compared to Starbucks, which has much larger stores.

Rahul Maheshwari

Early-stage investor

China is traditionally a tea-drinking market, but over the last few years, coffee sales have been increasing steadily, especially in urban areas and among younger professionals.

China’s overall coffee sales will rise at an 8.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2022–2027, according to analytics firm GlobalData. CAGR is a measure of investment returns, which takes into account what an investment yields at an annual rate over a specified period.

Aggressive expansion

In the quarter ended June 30, Luckin Coffee opened 1,485 new stores, averaging 16.5 new stores daily. Of the 10,829 stores in China, 7,181 are self-operated and 3,648 are partnership stores, according to the company’s earnings transcript.

The Chinese coffee chain expanded to Singapore in March in its first international foray and has opened 14 stores in the city-state so far, according to a CNBC check.

Cumulative transacting customers surpassed 170 million, while average monthly transacting customers reached 43.07 million in the second quarter, according to the company.

“Luckin was able to expand so fast because of its operating model — which includes self-operated stores and franchises,” said Li of Momentum Works.

Meanwhile, Starbucks’ stores worldwide are company-owned and the American coffee chain does not franchise operations, according to its website. Instead, it sells licenses to operate. In the quarter ended July 2, the company opened 588 new stores — about 40% of Luckin’s count.

Vivian Leung, an office worker residing in Guangzhou, said that there are at least two Luckin Coffee outlets within 50 meters from her apartment.

TIANJIN, CHINA – 2023/07/24: Customers are waiting in front of the counter.

Zhang Peng | Lightrocket | Getty Images

“Franchising unlocks very fast growth because you don’t have to put that amount of capital. Otherwise you will always be limited from growth. The density of Luckin stores is so high where there’s a store in almost every neighborhood,” said Rahul Maheshwari, an early-stage investor in Asia. He previously worked in Beijing at a Chinese venture capital firm and as a general manager with a Chinese app.

Luckin found mass market appeal. Price wise, it is already differentiated from Starbucks. Quantity wise, it’s still better, compared to many of the low end brands, said Li of Momentum Works.

“Luckin stores are also of a smaller format compared to Starbucks, which has much larger stores,” said Maheshwari.

Luckin found mass market appeal. Price wise, it is already differentiated from Starbucks. Quantity wise, it’s still better, compared to many of the low end brands.

Jianggan Li

Founder and CEO at Momentum Works

“As you can imagine, the asset-heavy model is expensive to operate and slow to scale,” said Momentum Works in a report.

Luckin operates a grab-and-go model, where customers order from the app and pick up their orders at the store, unlike Starbucks which offers a cozy environment for people to work and socialize.

As a result, Luckin has lower operating costs and can “break even within a year,” said Maheshwari.

Mass market appeal

Moutai, sometimes called maotai, is a premium distilled Chinese liquor and has been dubbed the “national liquor of China.”

Moutai topped the list of spirits brands with a value of $42.9 billion, according to a 2022 study by valuation consultancy Brand Finance.

Shawn Yang, managing director at Blue Lotus Research Institute, said it was a strategic move to “offer premium products to offset the sense of cheapness from 9.9 yuan per cup.”

“Luckin [extended its] customer base by leveraging the influence of legacy Chinese brands, including Moutai and Coconut Palm,” said Yang in a report.

Other localized hits with the Chinese market include brown sugar boba latte, as well as cheese latte and coconut latte.

“Luckin Coffee has played an important role in deepening the coffee market in China by introducing products which would suit the Chinese customer,” said Maheshwari in a recent blog post.

Making a comeback?

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Alex Karp blasts ‘Big Short’ investor Michael Burry as ‘bats— crazy’ for bets against Palantir, Nvidia

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Alex Karp blasts 'Big Short' investor Michael Burry as 'bats--- crazy' for bets against Palantir, Nvidia

Alex Karp on 'Big Short' investor Michael Burry: 'Bats--- crazy' for bets against Palantir, Nvidia

Palantir CEO Alex Karp ranted against short-sellers, calling out specifically Michael Burry after a filing revealed the investor of “The Big Short” fame had bets against the AI software company, as well as Nvidia, at the end of the last quarter.

“The two companies he’s shorting are the ones making all the money, which is super weird,” Karp told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “The idea that chips and ontology is what you want to short is bats— crazy.”

“He’s actually putting a short on AI… It was us and Nvidia,” Karp added.

When reached via email by CNBC seeking comment on Karp’s remarks, Burry declined to comment.

Palantir shares slid roughly 9% Tuesday even after the software company beat Wall Street estimates for the third quarter and offered upbeat guidance. Investors have grown increasingly wary of lofty valuations in AI-linked names. Palantir shares, which were up 173% for the year heading into Tuesday’s trading, have a forward price-earnings ratio of 228. Nvidia fell more than 2% after gaining more than 50% this year.

“I do think this behavior is egregious and I’m going to be dancing around when it’s proven wrong,” said Karp of short-sellers.

Burry’s hedge fund Scion Asset Management disclosed put options with a notional value of about $187 million against Nvidia and $912 million against Palantir as of Sept. 30. in a filing. The filing didn’t specify the strike prices or expiration dates of the contracts.

It’s unclear whether Burry is profiting from Tuesday’s declines. The filing reflects his positions at the end of September, and he may have since adjusted his portfolio by now. Burry declined to comment on his positions.

“It’s not even clear he’s shorting us. It’s probably just, ‘How do I get my position out and not look like a fool?'” Karp said.

The disclosure comes after Burry hinted at renewed caution in markets in a cryptic post on X last week.

“Sometimes, we see bubbles. Sometimes, there is something to do about it. Sometimes, the only winning move is not to play,” he wrote to his 1.3 million followers on the platform.

Burry gained fame for his prescient bet against mortgage-backed securities before the 2008 financial crisis, a trade chronicled in Michael Lewis’ The Big Short and the Oscar-winning film of the same name.

“With the shorts it’s very complex…honestly I think what’s going on here is market manipulation,” Karp said. “We delivered the best results anyone’s ever seen. It’s not even clear he’s not doing this to get out of his position. I mean these people, they claim to be ethical, but they are actually shorting one of the great businesses of the world.”

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Bitcoin’s November sell-off worsens as investors reduce risk on worries about the AI trade

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Bitcoin's November sell-off worsens as investors reduce risk on worries about the AI trade

Representation of Bitcoin cryptocurrency in this illustration taken Sept. 10, 2025.

Dado Ruvic | Reuters

Bitcoin fell victim to investors’ risk-off mood Tuesday as cryptocurrency holders backed off, growing increasingly concerned about the sustainability of stock valuations driven to stratospheric heights by the artificial intelligence trade.

Bitcoin was last trading at $103,952, down 2.5% on the day and roughly 6% in the past two days. Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, shed 2.5% on Tuesday and has now lost more than 10% over two days to trade at $3,503.

The leading cryptocurrencies attract many of the same investors as artificial intelligence stocks, linking the two trades when one goes bad. The Nasdaq Composite, home to the leading AI stocks, dropped almost 1% Tuesday, with investors selling AI-linked Palantir on concerns about its eye-watering valuation despite the data manager’s solid earnings results in its latest quarter.

Absent individuals

Compass Point analyst Ed Engel said individual investors may not be buying the dip as much as in the past.

“While selling from Long-term Holders is a common feature in bull markets, retail spot buyers have been less engaged than prior cycles,” he said in a note.

The latest downdraft could pull bitcoin deeper into the red, dragging the token below its critical $100,000 support level, according to the analyst.

“With Long-term Holders still selling, this leaves further downside risk if Short-term Holders’ capitulate further,” Engel wrote. “While we see support for BTC above $95k, we also don’t see many near-term catalysts.”

Bitcoin’s price has largely trended downward over the past few weeks, with October’s historically strong seasonality failing to materialize this year.

Bitcoin last failed to rise on seasonal tailwinds in October 2018, Engel noted. In the month that followed, Bitcoin plunged 37% in November of that year.

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Instacart rolls out AI tools for grocers, Sprouts will be first to use its Cart Assistant

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Instacart rolls out AI tools for grocers, Sprouts will be first to use its Cart Assistant

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

Instacart on Tuesday launched a suite of artificial intelligence tools for grocers to deliver more personalized shopping experiences and improve retail operations.

CEO Chris Rogers told CNBC that the announcement is a major step forward in the company’s enterprise strategy, which has grown to power hundreds of digital storefronts.

“It’s taking everything that we’ve been building for retailers over the last decade, and it’s bringing it into the AI era,” Rogers said. “It’s really about putting enterprise-grade AI tech in every grocer’s hands, whether it’s a small, local independent or a national chain.”

The collection of new AI Solutions includes an AI shopping assistant that grocers can provide to shoppers for personalized meal planning, budgeting, and product recommendations.

Dubbed Cart Assistant, the agent can be used across retailers’ websites through Instacart’s Storefront Pro or integrated into the company’s AI-powered shopping carts in-store, according to a release.

Sprouts Farmers Market and Kroger will be the first to roll out Cart Assistant on its website and app.

“AI is transforming the way people shop and today’s customers want the experience to be more personal and intuitive,” said Sprouts President and Chief Operating Officer Nick Konat in a release.

Read more CNBC tech news

The suite also offers Store View, which provides grocers a real-time view of store shelves and uses images and videos to identify which products are running low or out of stock. Store View is already live with McKeever’s and Good Food Holdings.

The lineup additionally includes an AI-driven catalog system and agentic analysis of retail data to provide business insights.

The online delivery firm is also working with AI companies like OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, and others to “define how grocery shopping is going to work across the next generation of digital agents,” Rogers said.

Instacart’s new products are just the latest examples of generative AI’s rising popularity within the retail industry. Amazon debuted an AI agent for third-party sellers in September, and Walmart launched “super agents” that cater to shoppers, sellers, and suppliers earlier this year.

Instacart shares took a hit after Amazon rolled out its same-day delivery service in August and faces competition from brick-and-mortar retail giants like Walmart and Target, which have their own delivery services.

However, Rogers said that Instacart is working with other grocers to help them compete against industry heavyweights.

“Our retail partners already look at look at us as their technology partner in the grocery industry, and they want to participate in the AI revolution the same way the largest players in the industry do,” Rogers said.

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