CU Opens First Convenience Store on Metaverse Platform 'Zepeto'

BGF Retail X Naver Z, Combining Offline and Virtual Reality Content

On the 25th, Lee Geon-jun, CEO of BGF Retail, avatar (left), and Kim Dae-wook, CEO of Naver Z, avatar, are taking a commemorative photo at the business agreement ceremony.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] BGF Retail, the operator of CU, announced on the 26th that it will open a virtual reality convenience store in collaboration with Naver Z, the company behind the global metaverse platform 'ZEPETO'.

ZEPETO is a representative content of the metaverse, a space that blends the real world with a three-dimensional virtual world. Utilizing augmented reality (AR) technology, it is a platform where users can interact with various people beyond age, gender, and race through their own avatars in virtual reality. It is used by over 200 million people worldwide and has recently gained great popularity in South Korea, especially among the digitally savvy Generation Z (people in their 20s).

On the 25th, Lee Geon-jun, CEO of BGF Retail, and Kim Dae-wook, CEO of Naver Z, signed a business agreement to combine online and offline platforms and content to provide customers with a differentiated experience connecting offline and virtual reality. The signing ceremony was held in ZEPETO, not in the real world, to highlight the nature of virtual reality content, and the CEOs appeared as avatars modeled after themselves.

Based on this agreement, CU will open the 'CU ZEPETO Hangang Park Store' in August this year within one of ZEPETO's popular maps, Hangang Park. This rooftop convenience store offers a view of the Hangang River where users can enjoy CU's popular products. Users can enjoy CU's differentiated products such as GET Coffee and Delafe on the terrace created on the rooftop, using specially prepared parasols and tables. Just like in a real store, users can brew coffee from an instant coffee machine or eat instant cooked ramen, a popular menu item at the Hangang Park convenience store.

Reflecting the characteristics of ZEPETO users who value communication and interaction with others, a busking space, a unique store concept of CU, will be unveiled later. In this space, users can perform by singing or dancing motions like in an actual concert hall and watch other people’s performances.

Lee Geon-jun, CEO of BGF Retail, said, "We are striving to create an environment where Generation Z, the core customers of convenience stores, can enjoy CU’s products and services in a fun way anytime and anywhere." He added, "We will actively pursue collaborations with various channels to continuously introduce differentiated content in line with rapidly changing trends."

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