In China, the first generation internet celebrity milk tea brand “LeLe Tea” has closed down 132 stores in the past year. Currently, there are no remaining stores in cities such as Zhengzhou and Guangzhou.
According to Lianjing News, in December last year, “LeLe Tea” closed its last store in Zhengzhou. With this closure, LeLe Tea has completely exited the Zhengzhou market, and the brand’s stores in Guangzhou were already all closed by 2022.
Narrow Gate Catering data shows that LeLe Tea has closed 132 stores in the past year. As of December 15, 2025, LeLe Tea had 399 operating stores, with only stores in Shanghai and Jiangsu exceeding one hundred. Many provinces including Xinjiang, Guizhou, Qinghai, Gansu, Guangxi, and Hainan only had one store each.
However, the decline of LeLe Tea is just a microcosm of the ups and downs in the new tea drink industry. In recent years, with the sluggish mainland economy, the competition in the new tea drink industry has become increasingly fierce. As of January 12, 2026, the number of milk tea shops nationwide decreased by 35,000 within a year. Among them, HEYTEA closed down over 650 stores in the past year, with a high closure rate in the industry; Nayuki Tea reported a loss of 118 million yuan and closed down 160 stores. HEYTEA, Nayuki Tea, and LeLe Tea were once hailed as the “Three Giants” of the new tea drink industry.
Narrow Gate Catering data shows that in the past year, the top five brands in terms of new store openings are CHACHA, GMT, Grandpa’s Tea, Jasmine Milk, and Auntie from Shanghai. The former “Three Giants” are no longer on the list.