Starbucks Corp., the world’s largest coffeehouse chain, will collaborate with K-pop girl group BLACKPINK to launch tumblers, keyrings, and other merchandise in a move to lure more customers based on the fandom.

According to multiple industry sources on Sunday, Starbucks Coffee Asia Pacific Ltd., the Asia Pacific unit of Starbucks, will offer a merchandise collection with BLACKPINK. The items, which will be launched soon in a design that combines black and pink, include tumblers, keyrings, and pouches that feature the girls group’s logo.

The collaboration comes as part of Starbucks’ strategy to maximize its reach through BLACKPINK’s strong fan base.

In 2020, Starbucks also partnered with K-pop darling BTS to launch food and beverage products and merchandise. The items such as keyrings, mood lamps, and pouches featuring BTS were sold out on the day of the release although only one item was allowed for purchase per person.

“The BLACKPINK merchandise will be released in a similar way to that of BTS,” said an unnamed official from the industry.

It isn’t the first time that Starbucks and BLACKPINK are working together.

Starbucks Coffee Thailand Co. released merchandise with BLACKPINK in 2021. Tumblers, keyrings, pouches, badges, and eco-bags were released exclusively in Thailand, sparking Korean fans to buy the products via overseas shipping services.

Industry insiders note that the latest move by Starbucks to release merchandise in Korea comes amid strong demand in the country.

“Further details will be announced soon,” Starbucks Coffee Asia Pacific said.

BLACKPINK has a huge global fan base.

In April, the group became the first Korean headliner for the Coachella Festival, the largest music festival in the U.S. The members will also be the first Korean artist to perform as one of the headliners at British Summer Time Hyde Park in London, U.K.

Each member of BLACKPINK is also highly influential, including Lisa, who has the most Instagram followers among K-pop artists with 95.4 million as of Sunday. The group’s official YouTube account also boasts 89.6 million subscribers.

By Park Hongju and Choi Jieun

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]