GS25, First Convenience Store Chain to Produce 'French Wine Sommelier' Graduates

Yumi Kim, Wine Specialist MD at GS Retail (right), is taking a commemorative photo with an official from the Bordeaux Wine Council.

The first recipient of the French wine knighthood title in the domestic convenience store industry has emerged.

GS Retail announced on the 18th that wine specialist MD Yumi Kim received the French wine knighthood title 'Commanderie' in Bordeaux, France, on the 16th.

The Commanderie is one of the three major French wine knighthood titles awarded by the Bordeaux Wine Council to individuals who have contributed to the development of Bordeaux wine or have been recognized for their influence and expertise within their country. It has been awarded to figures such as former French President Jacques Chirac, and this is the first case for an MD in the convenience store industry.

This knighthood was awarded to Manager Yumi Kim, currently serving as a wine specialist MD at GS Retail, in recognition of GS25’s pioneering efforts in the convenience store wine market over the past 20 years, including launching 12 differentiated wine products and expanding the distribution channels for French wines such as the five major chateau wines.

GS25 operates the first wine specialist MD in the convenience store industry, launched Wine25 Plus, the largest liquor smart order system in Korea, and is expanding flagship liquor stores such as Z Planet, striving to build a new liquor platform centered on the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z).

Yumi Kim, wine specialist MD of the GS25 Liquor Planning Team, said, “The previous wine managers at GS Retail have pioneered the wine market since the early 2000s, and it seems the fruits of their efforts have been bestowed upon me. I will continue to introduce various differentiated wines and strive to establish GS25 as Korea’s representative wine platform.”