Coffee culture comes to the boil in Shanghai

Outlets locked in fierce battle for business in prime areas

Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons opened its first store in China on Feb 26, joining a fast-expanding market that already had dozens of competitors.

The outlet, in Shanghai's Huangpu district, is the brand's 4,580th in the world and is the result of an exclusive master franchise agreement with New York private equity outfit Cartesian Capital Group.