GS25 Opens 3 Stores Simultaneously in Mongolia... Plans to Open 500 Stores by 2025

Mongolian consumers are using the GS25 Choiijin store.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] GS25 has expanded into Mongolia following its entry into Vietnam. On the 18th, GS25 simultaneously opened three stores?Nisrel Branch, Choijin Branch, and Park Od Mall Branch?in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, and held a grand opening event.

The event was conducted simultaneously in both countries via online video streaming. It was broadcast locally through Mongolia's NTV, and at the Nisrel Branch, three visiting customers participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the grand opening of GS25 Mongolia. The Nisrel Branch is located in an optimal area densely packed with Mongolia’s top landmarks such as Chinggis Khaan Square, government offices, and the parliament building. It operates under a flagship store concept featuring caf?-style interiors and an enhanced selection of special alcoholic beverages.

GS Retail plans to develop GS25 in Mongolia through a master franchise model, receiving royalties from a local partner, aiming to open 500 stores by 2025. The local Mongolian partner, Shunkhlai Group, is the second-largest conglomerate in Mongolia, overseeing 12 major subsidiaries across key industries. GS Retail expects Shunkhlai Group’s abundant financial resources to enable rapid business expansion locally. Additionally, Shunkhlai Group owns a manufacturer that holds a 70% market share in Mongolia’s alcoholic beverage and soft drink markets, indicating a high level of understanding of the distribution industry and promising strong synergy.

Comprehensive local marketing for GS25 will also be implemented. Considering Mongolia’s demographic characteristic where nearly 70% of the population is under 40, both companies plan to employ diverse product assortments, partnerships, and marketing strategies suitable for the convenience store channel. The popular drama “Backstreet Rookie,” featuring GS25, began airing on Mongolia’s NTV from the grand opening date, and the official GS25 Mongolia mobile app, “GS25MN,” has been launched on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Furthermore, GS25’s successful lifestyle service platforms in Korea, such as Our Neighborhood Delivery and Half-Price Courier, will be developed in forms tailored to the local market to expand their role as contributors to the community.

A GS Retail official stated, “Following our successful entry into Vietnam, we have initiated our second overseas expansion in partnership with Mongolia’s leading company, Shunkhlai Group. Beyond simply operating retail stores overseas, we aim to spread the culture of K-convenience stores and serve as a foundation for GS25, Korea’s representative convenience store, to expand globally through digital transformation in retail.”