From Luckin to BYD: How Chinese brands quietly turned S’pore into their retail playground

Brands from China are spreading their wings, and many are landing in Singapore

If you’ve been walking around Singapore’s malls lately, you might have noticed a striking transformation in the retail landscape—the city-state is seeing a growing wave of Chinese brands, from F&B to fashion and lifestyle.

Not long ago, these brands carried a stigma, often seen as purveyors of low-quality knockoffs and imitations. Today, that perception has shifted dramatically. Chinese brands have taken the world by storm, expanding aggressively across both Eastern and Western markets. And in a small market like Singapore, these brands are making noticeable inroads.

Why the sudden influx of Chinese businesses?

The influx of Chinese retail brands into Singapore accelerated in the post-COVID period, driven by a combination of economic pressures in China and opportunities in Singapore.

Back home, China’s once-booming consumer sectors were hitting a ceiling. Markets were saturated, growth was tapering off, and profit margins were squeezed, particularly for F&B and lifestyle retailers. Consumer spending, too, had turned sluggish.

Such deflationary pressures and intense price competition made expansion abroad an attractive way to maintain revenue streams.

Singapore emerged as a natural destination. Its strong currency, proximity to China, and predominantly Chinese population made expansion both culturally comfortable and commercially strategic. Moreover, high purchasing power, predictable regulations, and ASEAN Free Trade advantages—including lower tariffs and improved infrastructure—further enhanced its appeal.

Investor-backed Chinese companies saw Singapore as a stable and accessible market, while smaller entrepreneurs and managerial staff were drawn to the city-state for a more sustainable work-life balance, escaping the infamous 996 (9AM to 9PM, six days a week) culture.

These push-and-pull factors together resulted in an ‘aggressive’ wave of Chinese concepts entering Singapore, spreading across nearly every retail and F&B category after the pandemic died down.

Competing on price, quality, and experience

Chinese brands now permeate almost every segment—from F&B to lifestyle to fashion.

Singaporeans are drawn to these brands for several reasons: affordable price points, better perceived value (especially in F&B), a strong service culture honed in China’s competitive market, aesthetic and hyper-efficient store layouts, and cultural and linguistic familiarity. 

It’s no surprise, then, that you’ll find snaking queues for stores like Xiang Xiang Hunan Cuisine, CHAGEE, and Pop Mart.

The combination of affordability and elevated experience even makes these brands appealing even to non-Chinese-speaking communities.

Yet it poses challenges for local businesses. Competing with brands that combine efficient operations, strong visual merchandising, and competitive pricing is no easy task, particularly in a society adjusting to a slowing economy.

And the pressures aren’t the same everywhere. In fact, each sector tells a different story about how Chinese brands are reshaping the market.

The Chinese food wave

About 85 Chinese food and beverage brands were operating around 405 outlets in Singapore as of Aug 2025—more than double the 32 brands running 184 outlets in Jun the previous year, according to consultancy Momentum Works.

Many Chinese brands are backed by deep-pocketed investors, allowing them to outbid local rivals for prime locations. Michelin-starred Yong Fu from Shanghai, for instance, entered Singapore with an investment of S$10 million last year.

Chinese eateries have now sprouted everywhere, from hawker stalls to suburban malls, offering affordable meals, generous portions, bold flavours, and sensory-rich experiences. Strategically located in high-traffic areas, these outlets have transformed malls—from Tampines 1 to Grantral Mall at Macpherson—into curated slices of Chengdu, Harbin, or Guangzhou.

And Singapore’s local businesses are feeling the impact.

Ethan Hsu, head of retail at Knight Frank, told CNA that large-scale Chinese investments have pushed up rents, especially in high-traffic areas with tight commercial space.

“These Chinese players seem to have an endless supply of ammunition, of cash,” said Mr Andy Hoon, chairman of Bosses Network, an informal group of local businessmen. If the rental is expected to be between S$30 and S$40 per square foot, Singaporean tenants might offer around S$36 to S$38, he noted. A Chinese brand, however, could offer S$45, a number even higher than landlords expect.  

Mr Andrew Tjioe, president and CEO of TungLok restaurant group, added: “I wouldn’t say all of them—some are willing to pay more because profit-making is not their primary motive. They just want to have a presence here so they become international; it’s more for branding.”

When it comes to drinks, Chinese brands are also making waves. Mixue, Luckin Coffee, and other similar brands offer lower prices and comparable, if not better quality, to established brands like Starbucks, driving strong consumer adoption. 

Mixue, the world’s largest F&B chain by store count, had over 46,000 outlets worldwide as of late 2024, with 31 in Singapore as of May 2025. Luckin Coffee, which arrived in Mar 2023, operates 60 stores locally two years on.

Younger Singaporeans, in particular, are shedding old stigmas around “Made in China” products. Samer Elhajjar, senior lecturer at the NUS Business School, told Al Jazeera: “Many of these brands are now perceived as cool, modern, and emotionally in tune with what young consumers want. They feel local and global at the same time.”

He added: “You can walk into a Chagee and feel part of a new kind of aesthetic culture: clean design, soft lighting, calming music. It is not selling a product; it is selling a feeling.”

Collectible toys from China see increased popularity

Lifestyle retail brands from China have surged as well. Both young and older collectors captivated by these quirky “cute‑ugly” toys are an increasingly common sight, with Labubus and Skullpanda keychains adorning bags. 

Claw machines filled with these collectibles have also become a popular attraction in malls, drawing avid players eager to win their favorite characters.

This is thanks to Pop Mart’s retail entry into Southeast Asia through Singapore in 2021, and it has since expanded to 10 stores nationwide.

More recently, KKV, a Chinese lifestyle-collection chain, opened its first store this May at Tiong Bahru Plaza. The store offers a curated selection of items across eight categories, including toys, homeware, daily essentials, and cosmetics. It plans to open 10 stores by the end of this year.

Its candy-coloured aisles, aggressive expansion, and wide product range resemble Miniso but at a more curated, design-forward level. 

Similarly, Scarlett Supermarket has expanded rapidly across heartland estates, meeting growing demand for Chinese groceries, snacks, and beverages. Opening 44 stores in just over five years, it is present in large shopping centers and also smaller heartland locations.

Chinese sportswear brands like Anta and Li-Ning are also expanding. Anta plans to reach 1,000 stores in Southeast Asia within the next three years after regional retail sales nearly doubled in the first half of 2025, with 224 stores as of Jun. Anta opened its first Singapore store in 2023 and now has 11 islandwide, while Li-Ning launched its first of two stores at the end of 2024.

Auto and tech: When “Made in China” becomes an advantage

Chinese brands are also making significant inroads in higher-value sectors. BYD’s entry into Singapore’s electric vehicle (EV) market illustrates China’s growing dominance in electric vehicles.

Launching its retail passenger-car presence in 2022, BYD quickly overtook legacy automakers to become Singapore’s best-selling car brand for two consecutive years. Its EVs are significantly more affordable than comparable models from Toyota, BMW, or Tesla, yet they still offer modern technology, long battery range, and premium features.

Singapore’s car market is notoriously expensive, especially with Certificate of Entitlement (COE) costs; BYD’s pricing strategy makes EV ownership more attainable for a wider demographic.

In Oct 2025, the brand led the market with 7,473 registrations, surpassing Toyota by 2,027 units and representing 19.7% of new car registrations. Its strong price-to-performance ratio and accessibility have cemented its mainstream appeal.

Think about it: among your social circle, how many of your friends have kept a Xiaomi robot vacuum or a Xiaomi TV at home in recent years? Chinese products are seen as more reliable, affordable, and accessible than Western ones by Singaporeans, who have become more cautious with their spending amid a bleak economic landscape.

The premium Chinese wave

Chinese brands have also moved into premium segments. 

No longer just affordable, mid-range brands like Yishion and Urban Revivo, Edition, and Mo&Co have established footholds in Singapore in high-end places like Raffles City and Jewel Changi Airport, supported by sleek branding and collaborations with Chinese and international celebrities. 

Their presence signals that Chinese retail is no longer confined to “cheap and cheerful”—it is now sophisticated, trend-driven, and aspirational.

The accelerated adoption of Chinese phone brands has followed a similar trajectory, coinciding with broader shifts in consumer sentiment. Singaporeans are increasingly comfortable with “Made in China” products, seeing them as modern and reliable, sometimes even more so than their Western counterparts.

Demand for premium Chinese products is evident from consumers being willing to pay over S$1,000 for devices from Huawei or Oppo. This accelerated adoption of Chinese phones has coincided with a broader shift in consumer sentiment, as negative perceptions of Chinese brands have gradually faded amid perceived quality improvements over the years.

What this means for Singapore businesses

This retail wave raises cultural and economic questions. Is Singapore’s landscape becoming too homogenous? Are local brands being squeezed by aggressive pricing and expansion? Does the influx enhance diversity or erode local identity? While Chinese brands bring vibrancy, choice, and affordability, they also reshape neighborhood malls and challenge homegrown players to remain relevant.

Singapore is witnessing a monumental shift as Chinese retail businesses expand across sectors. Pushed by challenges in China and pulled by opportunities in Singapore, these brands are changing not just what we buy, but how we shop and what we value.

For local businesses, competing on price alone is no longer viable. Survival and growth will require stronger storytelling, unique local concepts, premiumisation or niche positioning, and enhanced customer experiences. The market is increasingly crowded, and only brands with clear, compelling concepts will stand out.

The question is no longer whether Chinese brands will continue to grow—they already have. The real challenge is whether Singaporean businesses can evolve quickly enough to maintain relevance and preserve the city-state’s unique retail identity. As Singapore changes, the true test is whether we can share our spaces without losing the places that make us feel at home.

Whether Singaporean businesses can adapt and thrive in this new retail landscape may depend not just on their innovation but also on how trade policies, commercial space management, and support mechanisms evolve in tandem.

• Read other articles we’ve written on Singaporean businesses here.

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Featured Image Credit: Reuters, Sentosa, Edition, Speand Blog