BGF Retail news

Malaysia is becoming a hotspot for convenience operators. Read about the expansion plans of CU, Emart24, FamilyMart, GS25 as well as 7-Eleven Malaysia. 1. CU opens 100th store in MidValley CU, from South Korea, opened its first stores in Malaysia in 2021, after reaching a partnership with local convenience store company myNews Holdings Bhd. The retailer has already opened 50 CU stores pla...

With coffee consumption in South Korea nearly triple the global average, and an estimated one coffee shop for every 600 people in the country, the market offers great inspiration for the latest coffee trends and innovations. Here’s three things that caught our eye on a recent visit to Seoul. Robots at the ready Dilly was one of a variety of service robots we spotted in Incheon Internatio...

While the landscape of labour shortages and rising costs varies across the region, convenience retailers are experimenting with a range of new solutions to tackle their resource challenges. Robots employed to restock at FamilyMart FamilyMart has partnered with start-up Telexistence to introduce stock-checking robots to 300 stores in Japan. The Japan Times reports that each robot can repla...

The future of Ministop convenience chain in South Korea has finally been decided. Over the last few years, uncertainty around its ownership has surfaced a number of times, for example in 2018 and last year . Lotte beats Shinsegae to acquire Ministop  According to Inside Retail, Lotte Group, which operates the third largest convenience chain 7-Eleven in South Korea, has acquired Minis...

Alongside the usual “buy-one-get-one-free” or “buy-two-get-one-free” deals, convenience operators are coming up with new multi-buy deals in South Korea. New ways to entice shoppers Emart24 has launched a 1+4 deal for facial masks in July. Shoppers can get five masks for the price of one at KRW150 (US$0.13) 7-Eleven has a 1+2 deal for 77 selected products, including beverages and ready...

We round up the latest initiatives and developments from South Korea’s convenience retailers, covering topics such as beauty & cosmetics, green environment, subscription service and COVID-19.  Beauty & Cosmetics: CVS as a new sales channel Convenience stores are emerging as a new channel for cosmetics products: GS25's cosmetics sales up +18.2% vs. 2019 CU's cosmetics sales up +6.7%...

The convenience channel remains a great opportunity for growth. We have published a series of new reports for our IGD Retail Analysis subscribers: The convenience channel’s global outlook Global growth opportunities Multiformat retailers trading convenience stores Below are some of the key highlights to help you plan for the future... Use IGD’s view to drive change...

The first CU convenience store has opened in Malaysia. South Korean retailer, BGF Retail signed a brand licensing deal with MyNews in October last year. Located in Centrepoint Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur Source: CU Malaysia South Korean products account for 60% of all products Source: CU Malaysia The 165 sq m store sells popular Korean street food over t...

Competition over delivery services in the convenience store sector is heating up, according to Korea Bizwire.  GS25 forms partnerships with food delivery services to drive sales Convenience store chain operator GS25 launched delivery services at its seven stores in Seoul through partnership with food delivery service Coupang Eats owned by ecommerce operator Coupang Inc. Customers can order ...

In response to consumers’ increasing demand of healthy diets, operators of convenience stores in the country are expanding vegetarian ranges. Increasing demand for healthy consumption The number of vegetarians in Korea jumped from 150,000 in 2008 to 2 million last year, representing 3% of the total population. The number of vegans is around half a million. Meanwhile, vegetable consumption i...