[Distribution Hot People] The Starting Point of CU Universe... K-Haengseong 1st Store 'Popular'

Providing a New Shopping Experience
Implementing CU Friends Kairu Universe
Flagship Store Sales Target: 1.5 Times Increase

"Customer responses to Khaengseong Store No. 1 have been very positive. This flagship store was designed to showcase the new convenience store and shopping experience that CU envisions."

On the afternoon of the 14th, at the BGF Retail headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Kang Byeonghak, head of the Brand Strategy Team in the Strategic Planning Office at BGF Retail, said, "We placed a circular checkout counter and instant cooking area in the center of the store, and arranged display spaces on three sides around it. This layout offers a different flow and atmosphere from traditional convenience stores, making shopping enjoyable and creating a feeling similar to visiting an exhibition hall or pop-up store."

Kang Byung-hak, Head of Brand Strategy Team, Strategic Planning Office, BGF Retail. [Photo by BGF Retail]

Khaengseong Store No. 1 is based on a story where KLU from CU Friends discovers the coveted purple CU on Earth and benchmarks it to open a convenience store on their own planet. Kang explained, "We used mirror materials to make the store mysterious and stimulate imagination. The structure was designed as if KLU stocked the products they like, and there is also the fun of finding hidden CU Friends figures throughout the store."

CU Friends consists of friendly and energetic part-timer Haru, the closest friend and pet box Shairu, the reliable helper and spy KLU who uncovers CU’s secrets, and CU enthusiast Siwoo who eagerly awaits new product releases every week. Kang said, "We aim to develop CU Friends beyond just a design element or mascot to represent CU itself. We will talk about customers and daily life based on the convenience store and present various relatable content through social media (SNS)."

The Olympic Plaza branch, Khaengseong Store No. 1, is a symbolic space for CU. Kang emphasized, "Pop-up stores are often opened in hot places to achieve goals within 1-2 weeks, but flagship stores require consistent management. This location was where CU’s first store opened in 2012, and we judged it to be a suitable place to introduce CU’s story."

Khaengseong stores will be gradually expanded. Kang said, "Stores applying the concept of each CU Friends character may be launched. If various content and stores are organically connected, the characters’ recognition will also increase. It is important to consistently create excellent stores, and I think there will be one or two every one to two years."

This year, the focus is on increasing character awareness and growing flagship store sales. Kang stated, "We started thinking of CU Friends’ awareness as 0% and want to raise it above 10%. We aim to secure over 5,000 Instagram followers in the second half of the year. The short-term goal for flagship stores is to increase sales by more than 1.5 times compared to the previous year."