Secured CU PB Exclusive Displays at Over 600 Don Quijote Locations
15 CU PB Products Launched in Japan
CU, a convenience store operated by BGF Retail, announced on the 11th that it has become the first convenience store in Korea to install a dedicated shelf for private brand (PB) products at Don Quijote in Japan and will export a variety of products.
Don Quijote in Japan is the largest discount variety store where customers can purchase a wide range of products including groceries, processed foods, and pharmaceuticals. It is frequently visited by both locals and foreign tourists.
CU, a convenience store operated by BGF Retail, announced on the 11th that it has become the first domestic convenience store in Korea to install dedicated shelves for private brand (PB) products at Don Quijote in Japan and will export various additional products. Photo by BGF Retail
Although Korean food and beverage products such as ramen, snacks, and alcoholic beverages were already available at Don Quijote, CU is the first Korean convenience store to sell its PB products there. CU explained that after about a year of discussions and several product evaluations with Don Quijote starting early last year, they decided to export their PB products.
The CU PB products being exported this time include a total of 15 items such as ▲HEYROO Cheese-flavored Ramen ▲HEYROO Cheongyang Chili Pepper Ramen ▲HEYROO Gimbugak Deuktem ▲HEYROO Butter Stick Cookies ▲HEYROO Choco Chip Cookies ▲HEYROO Caramel Rusk, which will be sold at over 600 Don Quijote locations throughout Japan. CU carefully selected these products through continuous discussions with Don Quijote to suit the popular tastes of Japanese consumers.
CU’s decision to set up a dedicated shelf this time was influenced by the popularity of CU’s PB products at some Don Quijote stores where they were previously sold. In April, CU became the first domestic distributor to start selling HEYROO Cheese-flavored Ramen at about 450 Don Quijote locations. So far, a total of 30,000 units have been exported, and despite no separate promotions, the product recorded high sales, leading to the establishment of a dedicated shelf.
CU emphasized that while promoting the excellence of Korean convenience store PB products in Japan, known as the "convenience store kingdom," it can also expand overseas sales channels for domestic small and medium-sized enterprises that manufacture CU’s PB products.
Since acquiring the status of a specialized trading company for the first time in 2022, CU has been exporting PB products through direct transactions with overseas distribution channels without going through intermediate export companies, a first in the distribution industry. As of the end of last month, about 60 domestic small and medium-sized partner companies have entered overseas markets directly or indirectly through approximately 590 CU stores in Mongolia, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, and other countries.
CU has exported PB products such as ramen, snacks, and beverages to more than 20 countries including the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Mongolia, Vietnam, Malaysia, C?te d'Ivoire, and Kyrgyzstan. Starting this year, CU plans to diversify exports to more countries with an annual overseas export target of 10 million USD.
Won Hwiyun, head of BGF Retail’s Global Trading Team, said, "Successfully entering the main liquor distributor in Japan, the home country of convenience stores, proves that the products have competitiveness beyond the Korean Wave." He added, "We will not only pursue business diversification into export industries beyond domestic distribution but also actively promote win-win cooperation to support the overseas expansion of small and medium-sized enterprises."
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