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Complete Guide To Korean Convenience Stores

A guide to the 5 biggest convenience store brands in Korea!

Soobin Cho
a year ago

Your Guide To The Big 5 Convenience Store Brands In Korea And What To Eat At Each One! Complete Guide To Korean Convenience Stores | Creatrip Locals' Guide

Walking down the bustling streets lit up with neon signs in Seoul, you'll find a convenience store or two in every corner. It's such a widely accessible amenity in Korea that you don't have to walk far to reach from one convenience store to another. So who are the big players in the industry? What do the editors recommend you try from each brand? How do Korea's fast-changing trends affect products at convenience stores? Find out below!


CONVENIENCE STORE BRANDS

Simply put, there are 5 prominent convenience store brands in Korea. These are often referred to as the 'Big 5' in the industry. The 3 biggest players among the 5 (GS25, CU and 7-Eleven) are often referred to as the 'Big 3' as well.

Your Guide To The Big 5 Convenience Store Brands In Korea And What To Eat At Each One! Complete Guide To Korean Convenience Stores | Creatrip Locals' Guide

Number Of Branches: 13,899 (As of November 2019)

Sales In 2020 1Q: 1,628,000,000,000KRW (Approx. 1.373B USD)

Profit In 2020 1Q: 40,600,000,000KRW (Approx. 34.2M USD)

GS Retail, a subsidiary of the giant Korean conglomerate GS Group, runs brands including GS25, GS The Fresh, Lalavla and more. GS25 has been their convenience store brand since 1990.

Your Guide To The Big 5 Convenience Store Brands In Korea And What To Eat At Each One! Complete Guide To Korean Convenience Stores | Creatrip Locals' Guide

GS25 has been doing quite well in 2020 even during the COVID-19 pandemic and market experts believe it's due to its differentiated services including their app, coffee subscription service, delivery service and laundry service.

Your Guide To The Big 5 Convenience Store Brands In Korea And What To Eat At Each One! Complete Guide To Korean Convenience Stores | Creatrip Locals' Guide

Number Of Branches: 13,820 (As of November 2019)

Sales In 2020 1Q: 1,393,100,000,000KRW (Approx. 1.175B USD)

Profit In 2020 1Q: 18,500,000,000KRW (Approx. 15.6M USD)

Initially a licensed brand of Japan's Family Mart, CU became an independent brand in 2012.

CU also offers delivery and it's expanding fast with a plan to expand to over 5,000 by the end of the first quarter of 2020.

Your Guide To The Big 5 Convenience Store Brands In Korea And What To Eat At Each One! Complete Guide To Korean Convenience Stores | Creatrip Locals' Guide

CU has partnered with celebrity chef/businessman Baek Jong-won and launched a dosirak (lunch box) line which is one of their best sellers. Their desserts, generous in amount and affordable in price, are also mentioned often on social media.

Your Guide To The Big 5 Convenience Store Brands In Korea And What To Eat At Each One! Complete Guide To Korean Convenience Stores | Creatrip Locals' Guide

Number Of Branches: 10,005 (As of November 2019)

The first-ever convenience store to have opened in Korea was a 7-Eleven branch that opened in Sindangdong, Junggu in Seoul in 1982. It closed its doors in 1984 as not many people were familiar with the idea of convenience stores then.

Your Guide To The Big 5 Convenience Store Brands In Korea And What To Eat At Each One! Complete Guide To Korean Convenience Stores | Creatrip Locals' Guide

Number Of Branches: 4,438 (As of November 2019)

As Emart's wholly owned subsidiary, this convenience store brand features products from Emart and No Brand (another Emart subsidiary).

Your Guide To The Big 5 Convenience Store Brands In Korea And What To Eat At Each One! Complete Guide To Korean Convenience Stores | Creatrip Locals' Guide

Number of Branches: 2,556 (As of February 2019)

Korea's Ministop is wholly ownedby Japan's AEON Group. A lot of its niche fanbase comes from its freshly cooked food including fried chicken, fish cake and corn dogs as well as the soft-served ice cream.


MUST-TRYS

2020 Must-Buys

Your Guide To The Big 5 Convenience Store Brands In Korea And What To Eat At Each One! Complete Guide To Korean Convenience Stores | Creatrip Locals' Guide

New releases are coming out every month and keeping up with each is no joke. Check out our compiled list of must-buys for this year to start off your Korean convenience store journey!

The 6 Must-Try Instant Foods

Your Guide To The Big 5 Convenience Store Brands In Korea And What To Eat At Each One! Complete Guide To Korean Convenience Stores | Creatrip Locals' Guide

If you're running short on time and need to grab something on-the-go, think of these 6 first!

Must-Try Sausages

Your Guide To The Big 5 Convenience Store Brands In Korea And What To Eat At Each One! Complete Guide To Korean Convenience Stores | Creatrip Locals' Guide

Korean convenience stores have sausages that come in skewers which make them great snacks that are easy to hold and eat. Check out our list of favourites!

Vegan

Vegan Reviews

Your Guide To The Big 5 Convenience Store Brands In Korea And What To Eat At Each One! Complete Guide To Korean Convenience Stores | Creatrip Locals' Guide

We did convenience store runs and tried many of the vegan options we could find there. Read our review and see which one's the most worth getting!

Other Vegan Options

Your Guide To The Big 5 Convenience Store Brands In Korea And What To Eat At Each One! Complete Guide To Korean Convenience Stores | Creatrip Locals' Guide

Check out our list of vegan options you'll find at convenience stores and supermarkets covering from salads and kimbaps to chips and mandus!

SPECIAL RELEASES

Dalgona Snacks

Your Guide To The Big 5 Convenience Store Brands In Korea And What To Eat At Each One! Complete Guide To Korean Convenience Stores | Creatrip Locals' Guide

Remember when dalgona coffee was a thing on the internet? Originally an after-school snack many Korean kids enjoyed in the 90s and 2000s, dalgona brings a sense of nostalgia to many locals. Following the homemade dalgona coffee sensation, many convenience store brands and supermarket brands launched their own dalgona snack lines.

If you can't find any of the snacks where you live, why not make one more cup of dalgona coffee at home?


Binggrae Flavoured Milk Selection

Your Guide To The Big 5 Convenience Store Brands In Korea And What To Eat At Each One! Complete Guide To Korean Convenience Stores | Creatrip Locals' Guide

Many Koreans grew up drinking the classic Binggrae banana flavoured milk. Great news is that there are many variations of flavours now! The sweet, flavourful milk pairs perfectly with spicy Korean food, too.


Taiwanese Sandwiches At CU

Your Guide To The Big 5 Convenience Store Brands In Korea And What To Eat At Each One! Complete Guide To Korean Convenience Stores | Creatrip Locals' Guide

Taiwanese milk tea and desserts are a huge hit in Korea! Taiwanese sandwiches, the most famous place to get them being Hong Rui Zhen, are also widely loved here. You'll even find them at CU. Have you decided which ones to try at the closest convenience store first? Be sure to share your experience with us!


We hope you enjoyed this! If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment below or email us at help@creatrip.com! You can follow us on InstagramTikTokTwitter, and Facebook to stay updated on all things Korea!

Sources: iNews, Yonhap, UPI News