The chain launched its first two Johor Bahru outlets at Sutera Mall and Austin Heights in early July before holding a grand opening for the Sutera Mall location last week, according to its social media posts. It has since opened a third outlet in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, local media reported.

Dr. Jeff Lim, CEO of Luckin Coffee Malaysia, said Malaysia’s southernmost state of Johor is a key market that will support the firm’s next stage of growth through a more localized supply chain, job creation and wider access to its digital-first coffee retail experience, as quoted by The Malaysian Reserves.

Luckin Coffee drinks at the Sutera Mall outlet in Johor, Malaysia. Photo from Sutera Mall Johor Bahru's Facebook

Established in 2017 by a former technology executive, Luckin Coffee became known for its sleek, app-driven cafés and rapidly emerged as a domestic challenger to U.S. coffee giant Starbucks in China.

It went public in 2019 before being delisted the following year over an accounting scandal. It filed for bankruptcy in 2021 but has since mounted a strong comeback.

The chain has expanded to over 300 cities across China, where most of its outlets are located, while also expanding overseas into markets including Singapore, Malaysia and the U.S.

It opened its 30,000th store worldwide in February, just over eight years after its founding, achieving the milestone six times as fast as Starbucks, according to Nikkei Asia.

As of the first quarter of 2026, the chain had 33,596 stores globally after adding over 2,500 outlets during the quarter, according to its report.

Luckin Coffee entered Malaysia last year and has expanded quickly. With the Johor additions, its store count across the country has exceeded 120.