SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Korea Bizwire) – As inflation continues to squeeze household budgets, South Korean consumers are increasingly turning to budget-friendly options at convenience stores. CU, one of the country’s leading convenience store chains, reported a significant surge in sales of products priced under 1,000 won on September 5. The trend reflects a broader shift in [...]
SEOUL, Jul. 4 (Korea Bizwire) – A recent survey by the Korea Consumer Agency has found that while South Korean consumers highly appreciate the store environment and payment convenience of their local convenience stores, they are less satisfied with customer communication and promotional events. The agency released its findings on July 3, detailing consumer satisfaction and [...]
SEOUL, May 23 (Korea Bizwire) — The rivalry between Yonsei University and Korea University has extended to the shelves of CU outlets, with a new competition arising after the convenience store chain started selling baked goods featuring the names and logos of these universities. The rivalry between these two colleges, founded over 100 years ago, [...]
SEOUL, April 13 (Korea Bizwire) — As mixology, a term for mixing various types of alcoholic drinks, is gaining popularity, convenience store chain operators are diversifying their alcohol ranges by releasing highballs, a type of cocktail normally made with Scotch whisky and carbonated water. CU released a lemon highball in collaboration with local artist Chungshin. [...]
SEOUL, March 7 (Korea Bizwire) — Emart24, the convenience store arm of South Korean discount retailer Emart Inc., made waves last year when it offered expensive luxury goods such as diamonds, Mercedes-Benzes, and BMWs. Now, the company is back with more exotic offerings, including high-end karaoke machines and BMW Mini Coopers. Emart24 said Monday it [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s convenience store chains are testing a variety of technologies, running some fully unmanned stores and hybrid (unmanned night operations) stores in a smart store format. A good example of this is CU’s artificial intelligence (AI) face recognition kiosk. Once users register their face and customer information at [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — As people in their 20s and 30s, who value special experiences, emerge as the main consumer group for the alcoholic beverage market, brand-new beverages with differentiated value such as distilled soju and beer from craft breweries are rising to the top of sales rankings. Convenience store chain GS25 analyzed [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — GS Group’s convenience store chain GS25 said Monday it has opened its 100th outlet in Mongolia since its entry into the East Asian country 16 months ago. GS25 aims to expand the number of outlets in Mongolia to more than 500 by 2025 by launching more customized food products. [...]
SEOUL, July 7 (Korea Bizwire) — Convenience store owners are considering imposing extra charges during late night hours in protest of the recent decision to raise the minimum wage next year. The Korea Franchisee Union, comprised of all franchisees of major convenience store chains, said Wednesday that it has decided to ask convenience store chains [...]
SEOUL, July 6 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean convenience chains said Wednesday they plan to introduce limited drone delivery services in selected stores in leisure destinations, as competition to provide faster deliveries heats up. BGF Retail, the operator of CU convenience stores, said Wednesday it will start offering drone deliveries from its store in the [...]