The library-like interior of a Zhongshuge bookstore in Shanghai. [Photo/Sipa]

Shanghai's first Coffee Culture Week kicked off in the ever popular and hip metropolis in East China on March 29, putting the coffee industry under spotlight.

Over the past two years, among all the newly opened bookstores in Shanghai, the ones selling coffee account for 84 percent. Having a cup of coffee in a bookstore has become a hot new trend for locals.

A survey was carried out in 97 bookstores in Shanghai recently. Among the surveyed bookstores, the total area for their coffee business covered about 22,000 square meters, with an average of 230 sq m per outlet, equivalent to that of a small or medium-sized cafe.

Research has reportedly shown that a city's economic index, coffee index and reading index, often present a positive correlation. Moreover, the model of bookstore + coffee is regarded as having  promising market potential.