"Domestic Market Is Too Small" GS25 PB Instant Noodles Exported to 24 Countries

GS25 Yonggimyeon Tops Sales at 1st, 2nd, and 4th Among PB Products
Exported 1.3 Billion KRW to 24 Countries This Year
Developed 6 Export PB Items to Pass Western Quarantine Standards

Convenience store private brand (PB) cup noodles have emerged as a hit product, and their export channels are expanding.

A visitor is looking at GS Retail PB container noodles at a ParknShop store in Hong Kong.
[Photo by GS Retail].

Among the 13 types of GS25 PB cup noodles operated by GS Retail, the sales composition ratio in November accounted for 31.8% of the total 150 types of cup noodles. The cumulative export amount of PB cup noodles over the past five years has also surpassed 2.3 million dollars (about 3 billion KRW).

Among the 13 PB cup noodle types, Gonghwachun and the jumbo-sized cup noodle product of Jumbo Dosirak 8 servings ranked first and second respectively in the cup noodle category for the month of November, while Omori Kimchi Jjigae Noodles ranked fourth.

GS25 plans to expand its existing popular cup noodle product lineup by adding Gonghwachun Buljjajang on the 6th of this month, in response to the popularity of these PB cup noodles.

Export performance of PB cup noodles over the past three years also increased by 166.6% in 2021 compared to the previous year, 112.4% in 2022, and is expected to exceed 1 million dollars (about 1.3 billion KRW) this year alone. This accounts for about 10% of GS Retail's total export performance this year. The number of countries exporting PB cup noodles has also significantly increased to 24 countries compared to 7 countries five years ago.

The top five countries in export performance are Mongolia, the United States, Hong Kong, Thailand, and the United Kingdom, showing balanced results regardless of East or West. Online content posts related to the two jumbo-sized 8-serving cup noodle products released this year, including 'mukbang challenges,' poured in by the tens of thousands, and content with over 25 million views was created, attracting attention. This also generated export inquiries from buyers around the world who saw it.

GS25 plans to actively promote the global popularity of K-cup noodles by planning jumbo-sized cup noodles as export-only products. Considering that some importing countries restrict the import quarantine of livestock raw materials such as bone powder used in ramen soup base, GS25 has also planned six export-only products using plant-based ingredients that can replicate the original taste. Research is underway this year to apply this to two jumbo cup noodle products.