CU to directly export brand products to Japan, Hong Kong

[Courtesy of CU]

South Korean convenience store chain CU announced on Monday that it will directly export its own brand products to Japan and Hong Kong without going through intermediary companies.

CU will first export its own brand product, HeyRoo Cheese Cup Noodles, to Japanese shopping channel Don Quijote.

Although Korean ramyeon and snacks are already sold on the channel, it is the first time that a Korean convenience store’s own brand products will be sold at the Japanese shopping channel.

CU made the decision to sell its own cup noodle brands in about 450 stores across Japan starting in April 2024 after a year of negotiations since early 2023.

The first export batch will be around 30,000 units, with the company planning to expand depending on sales trends. CU exporting its own brand products to Japan, known as the kingdom of convenience stores, is significant, particularly after it became independent from the Japanese brand in 2012.

BGF Retail Co., which operates CU, first opened its first convenience stores in Korea under a license agreement with Japan’s FamilyMart Co. in 1990 and switched to its independent brand CU in 2012 after separating from the Japanese brand.

CU will also export 10 types of craft beer and highballs that are popular in Korea to Park’n Shop supermarkets in Hong Kong.

The craft beers include Malpyo Dark Beer, Daepyo Wheat Beer, Paik Jong-won Yesan Apple Beer, and four types of highballs including Cheongsin Highball, Kim Je-eon Highball, and Andong Soju Highball. These will be sold in about 300 local stores from the end of February 2024.

After securing the status of a specialized trading company in 2022, CU has been exporting various own brand products including ramyeon, snacks, and beverages to over 20 countries, including the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Mongolia, and Vietnam. It plans to export the Yonsei Milk Cream Bread series to Mongolia and Malaysia in 2024, with an annual export target of $10 million.

The convenience store chain expects this initiative to expand sales channels for domestic small and medium-sized enterprises that manufacture its own brand products, leading to mutual growth.