To Busan, to Daejeon... Convenience Stores Establish Themselves as Nationwide Relief Platforms

From Ready-to-Eat Meals and Bottled Water
to Essential Medicines and Hygiene Products
A Nationwide Network of Over 40,000 Franchise Locations

GS Retail vehicle transporting emergency relief supplies to Busan residents affected by flooding

[Asia Economy, reporter Cha Minyoung] Convenience stores, which operate as consumer-oriented lifestyle platforms, have established themselves as relief platforms that provide emergency supplies during natural disasters such as heavy rain and wildfires.

According to industry sources on July 31, Emart24 delivered a total of 2,000 relief items-including 500ml bottles of Harue-liter water, cup noodles, and instant rice-to Busan, which suffered damage from heavy rain the previous day (July 30). CU also urgently delivered about 3,000 relief items, such as cup noodles, instant rice, and bottled water, to Daejeon, where flooding caused widespread damage. The transportation was handled by BGF Logis Sejong Center and BGF Logis Jincheon Center.

BGF Retail delivery vehicle providing emergency relief supplies in Daejeon

Prior to this, the convenience store industry quickly stepped in to support the Gyeongbuk and Busan regions affected by heavy rain on July 25-26. Emart24 urgently supplied 1,000 bottles of water to Yeongdeok County in Gyeongbuk, which was hit by heavy rain. GS25 prioritized supplying about 1,000 bottles of Jirisan Clear Spring Water to households with limited mobility, such as pregnant women and the elderly, in Dongnae District, Busan, which suffered flood damage. To prepare for additional flooding, GS25 established a 24-hour hotline and activated emergency operations centered on its Busan sales team.

Since 2015, convenience stores have taken the lead in disaster prevention and relief. BGF Retail, which operates CU, was the first in the industry to sign agreements with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and others, and has been operating the “BGF Bridge” based on over 30 logistics centers and the nationwide CU network. GS25, operated by GS Retail, and Emart24, part of the Emart group, also signed similar agreements in 2017 and 2019, respectively. In January, these convenience stores provided daily necessities such as wet wipes, toothpaste and toothbrush sets, lunch boxes, cup noodles, and bottled water to Korean nationals returning from Wuhan, China, in an effort to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. They have faced a variety of emergency situations, ranging from natural disasters like wildfires, torrential rain, and heavy downpours, to public health crises such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak.

Emart24 vehicle delivering relief supplies to flood victims in Yeongdeok, Gyeongbuk

The reason the convenience store industry can respond quickly to national disasters is that they not only carry ready-to-eat meals such as lunch boxes, gimbap, and sandwiches, but also stock a wide range of essential items, including various medicines and daily necessities as stock keeping units (SKUs). They also have a broad infrastructure network, with over 40,000 franchise locations nationwide. Kim Kyunghoon, head of Emart24’s CSR team, stated, “We plan to continue working with the National Disaster Relief Association to ensure that relief supplies can be delivered swiftly to disaster-affected areas.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.