Chinese bubble tea chain Mixue straps in for theme park project

A budget bubble tea chain from China best known for its cheap ice creams and drinks may soon be adding roller coasters and immersive shows to its menu.Mixue, boasting more stores than McDonald’s and growing rapidly outside China, is planning to build a theme park at its headquarters in Zhengzhou, the capital of central China’s Henan province.The park will be based on its Snow King mascot, a singing snowman that has become one of Chinese retailing’s most recognisable intellectual properties (IPs), and offer multiple indoor themed experience zones combining retail, performances and interactive attractions.The world’s largest food-service chain is looking beyond 2 yuan (29 US cents) ice creams and 4 yuan drinks to further widen and monetise its empire, amid a broader push by Chinese cities to revive local economies by harnessing culture, tourism and experiential consumption. The three sectors are increasingly being viewed as reliable ways to stabilise growth as traditional drivers such as property and fixed-asset investment lose momentum.“Culture and tourism can quickly activate existing public assets and create closed consumption loops,” said Liu Lidan, a researcher at Beijing-based think tank Anbound. “It is no longer simply about eating, drinking and entertainment, but has become a strategic engine for boosting domestic demand.”Local authorities in Zhengzhou recently identified the proposed Snow King theme park as a key project in the city’s push for a strong economic start to the year, media outlets in the city reported.