Leading convenience stores South Korea 2021, by store numbers

Based on the number of stores, CU was the leading convenience store in South Korea in 2021, with a total of over 15.8 thousand stores, overtaking the former leader GS25.

GS25

GS25 is a chain owned and operated by GS Retail Co, a subsidiary of GS Group. When the chain started in 1990, it was still part of the LG Group, but parted in 2005. According to a survey in July 2020, GS25 was the most preferred convenience store chain brand for more than one in three surveyed South Koreans.

Convenience stores in South Korea

As of 2021, convenience stores in South Korea had a sales revenue of around 28.42 trillion South Korean won. According to industry estimates, more than half of those sales are made with food sales. In total, over 46 thousand franchise convenience stores were operating in South Korea in 2020, with almost all of them having business hours of over 14 hours daily.