Store Exterior Decorated with Doosan Mascot "Cheolwoong"
"Meoksan Zone" for Products and "Hustle Zone" for Experiences
On June 10, CU announced that it has opened a popup store for Doosan Bears baseball fans at the CU Sincheon Olympic branch, located near Jamsil Sports Complex, the home stadium of the Doosan Bears professional baseball team.
CU has themed the popup store as a "baseball stadium just for Meoksan" and is introducing exclusive fandom products and services. As professional baseball remains popular, the company aims to enhance brand affinity through sports marketing, and to provide not only baseball fans but also regular convenience store customers with experience-focused content, including a variety of attractions and food offerings.
Previously, CU announced its strategy to expand the role of convenience stores beyond simply a place to purchase goods, positioning them as spaces that optimize customer experience.
The exterior of the Doosan Bears popup store is decorated with Cheolwoong, the Doosan Bears mascot, while the interior features the "Meoksan Zone," which displays collaborative products from CU and the Doosan Bears, and the "Hustle Zone," which offers various hands-on experiences.
"Hustle" is a term derived from "Hustle Doo," a phrase used by Doosan Bears fans to cheer for their team, referring to the team's fearless play during games. In the Hustle Zone, visitors can enjoy popup store-exclusive experiences such as a photo zone with Cheolwoong, the Printing Box Doosan Bears series, and the Namane Card, a transportation and communication pass for international tourists. The ceiling of this area continuously displays content from BearsTV, the official Doosan Bears YouTube channel.
The Meoksan Zone features more than ten first-edition collaborative products, including Yonsei Milk Meoksan Fresh Cream Bread, hot bars, beer, and 1-liter highballs, as well as the second-edition Manggeureojingom X Doosan Bears merchandise. The "Yonsei Milk Hustle Doo Fresh Cream Bread" (3,600 KRW) is filled with rich, smooth cream cheese and tangy strawberry jam, offering a sweet, savory flavor and moist texture. The Manggeomee collaboration series includes collectible stickers featuring Manggeomee and Cheolwoong in Doosan Bears uniforms. Visitors can also browse exclusive Doosan Bears merchandise such as uniforms and caps.
CU plans to strengthen its sports marketing by launching more than ten new products by the end of this month, including two varieties of bite-sized mini choux, three types of sweet pudding, caramel popcorn, cheese nachos, snacks, sports drinks, pizza, side dishes, and ice cream.
Park Jongsung, Head of BGF Retail's CX Division, said, "Buoyed by the popularity of professional baseball, which attracted ten million spectators last year, and the success of CU's Doosan Bears collaboration products, we aim to expand customer touchpoints by strengthening related content. Going forward, CU will continue to collaborate with popular IPs to introduce new product concepts, stores, and services, striving to become a beloved brand not only among sports fans but also the general public."
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