A leading Chinese real estate brokerage has opened its first joint store with a major coffee chain, as a prolonged property slump forces it to find creative ways to get potential homebuyers’ attention, reports Caixin. Lianjia’s shared store with Manner Coffee is in a residential neighborhood in downtown Shanghai’s Putuo district. It was converted from an existing Lianjia store.
Pictures of the store posted on social media showed walls emblazoned with both companies’ logos, a coffee service counter manned by a barista, a separate counter staffed by a Lianjia employee, and a shared seating area.
A Lianjia employee told Caixin that Lianjia hopes to turn its stores into shared spaces, so it is looking for collaboration opportunities with brands that are popular with its target customers, while Manner wants to take advantage of the brokerage’s established brick-and-mortar presence in the neighborhood.