GS25 Launches Yakgwa Brand 'Haengun Yakgwa'... Fostering Core Products

Establishment of Specialized MD Yakgwa Research Institute
Development of Differentiated Yakgwa Product MD Strategy
Mid-Month Launch of 'Donuteneun Yakgwaji'

The 'Halmaennial' (Grandmother + Millennial) craze has brought Yakgwa to the forefront as a strategic product in convenience stores.

GS25, a convenience store operated by GS Retail, announced on the 8th that it will launch its own Yakgwa brand, 'Haengun Yakgwa.' The launch of the Haengun Yakgwa brand was driven by the recent trend of the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) enthusiastically embracing Yakgwa.

GS25, its own yakgwa brand 'Haengun Yakgwa'
[Photo by GS Retail].

GS25 established a 'Yakgwa Research Lab' composed of about 10 specialized MDs responsible for the food category and set up a continuous collaborative product development process with the 'MD Supporters,' a group of employees in their 20s. The Yakgwa Research Lab selects Yakgwa product ideas and creates the first prototypes, after which the MD Supporters taste and provide additional feedback to finalize the product.

By removing category restrictions for MDs and other development members and introducing a collective product development process, GS25 received over 200 differentiated product ideas utilizing Yakgwa.

As the first product under the Haengun Yakgwa brand, GS25 plans to release 'Donuteneun Yakgwaji' (tentative name), a reinterpretation of Yakgwa as a donut, as early as mid-month. Following this, they plan to launch a series of differentiated products using Yakgwa, including snacks and beverages.

GS25 stated, "In the second half of this year, Haengun Yakgwa will be intensively developed as a core GS25 product alongside the Kim Hyeja lunchbox, which led the convenience store lunchbox craze."

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