"Convenience Store Bread War Accelerates" CU Launches Premium Brand 'Bbang de France'

CU 'Bain de France' (Photo by BGF Retail).

A total of about 20 items to be released sequentially by mid-July
8% Fresh Cream Bread, 32-layer Croissant, 25cm Baguette, etc.
Offering specialty-level quality + reasonable prices

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yuri] CU has entered the premium convenience store bread war.

On the 27th, CU announced the launch of its own premium bakery brand 'Paeng de Franc (Pain de franc)' and began releasing related products in earnest from that day.

CU stated, "Paeng de Franc aims to capture the unique flavor and sentiment of Europe, where love and pride for bread are exceptional," adding, "We are determined to break the stereotypes about convenience store bread and lead the trend with healthy and delicious high-quality bread that can be a great meal."

The Paeng de Franc product line consists of about 20 items, which will be introduced sequentially from this month until mid-July. These include bread with 8% fresh cream, espresso croissants folded 32 times, walnut campagne with plenty of nuts, and 25cm baguettes to be heated. These various breads, which have not been mass-produced due to lack of technology until now, will be made with specialty-level high quality and offered at a reasonable average price below 2,000 KRW.

All these products use French raw materials such as flour, butter, and fresh cream. The baguette dough is directly imported from France. Future products will also focus on quality, using ingredients from various origins.

It took about a year for CU to launch Paeng de Franc. CU said, "Based on market research and customer analysis of the convenience store bread market, we planned, branded, and test-sold products to realize the best bakery items that can increase customer satisfaction," adding, "Since last year, due to the impact of COVID-19, more people have been having simple bread meals at home, and the perception of bread has expanded from a snack to a meal option."

Last year, the bread sales growth rate at CU stores located in residential areas was 23.0%, more than twice the overall growth rate of 10.2%. In terms of sales by price range, low-priced products under 1,500 KRW showed a 6.3% sales increase last year, but products priced between 1,600 and under 3,000 KRW increased by 16.0%, and large-sized and premium products over 3,000 KRW showed a high growth rate of 246.2%.

Jinyoungho, Head of BGF Retail Product Division, said, "CU has carefully analyzed changes in convenience store customers' eating habits and prepared the Paeng de Franc products with great care, so we will present exceptional products," adding, "Through collaboration with selected raw materials and domestic small and medium-sized bakery manufacturers, we have incorporated not only quality but also the meaning of mutual growth."

Meanwhile, to commemorate the launch of Paeng de Franc, CU is holding a promotion throughout June offering a 30% discount when paying for these products with Woori Card. Related videos will also be posted on CU’s official YouTube channel, CUtube.

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