(Bloomberg) -- Embattled Chinese coffee chain Luckin Coffee Inc. filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy in New York, less than a year after the company said that more than a quarter’s worth of business may have been faked.
The move will protect the company from lawsuits by U.S. creditors while it reorganizes in China, where it runs several thousand outlets. All its coffee shops will remain open for business and the Chapter 15 petition will not materially impact the company’s day-to-day operations, according to a statement issued on Friday.
“The company continues to meet its trade obligations in the ordinary course of business, including paying suppliers, vendors and employees,” the statement said.
The bankruptcy filing caps a saga in which the coffee chain, once thought of as a challenger to Starbucks Corp.’s dominance in China, fired its chairman and chief executive officer, paid hundreds of millions out in fines to both Chinese and U.S. regulators, and saw its stock plunge 90% before being delisted by Nasdaq.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fined the company $180 million in December after finding that it intentionally fabricated more than $300 million in sales from April 2019 through January 2020. The company has never officially admitted or denied the SEC’s allegations.
Luckin’s alleged malfeasance, which involved misstating its revenue, expenses and operating loss, was all done to give investors the false impression that the company was experiencing miraculous growth, the SEC said.
The chain’s collapse has led to renewed scrutiny of Chinese companies that sell shares on U.S. exchanges without adhering to rules that require their audits be inspected by American regulators. The fallout also triggered fresh concerns for global investors about China’s corporate governance, while contributing to the U.S. Congress passing legislation late last year that could lead to Chinese businesses being kicked out of American markets.
Founded in 2017, Luckin operated about 4,500 stores in mainland China as of the end of 2019. The chain pulled in customers by offering massive discounts and sought to reach 10,000 locations by the end of 2021.