[Report] "All the Sweetness in the World" ... CU Aims to Become the Mecca of K-Desserts

Inside CU's Dessert-Specialty Convenience Store

Dessert Experiment in Seongsu, a "Hot Spot for Foreign Visitors"

30% More Products Than a Typical Convenience Store

Rapid Growth in the Dessert Market

Strategy to Secure High-Prof

On the morning of the 12th, the CU Seongsu Dessert Park branch opened in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. The store, subtly infused with CU's BI colors of purple and lime, has been designed so that customers can experience K-dessert trends all in one place. The showcases are filled with dessert products such as the much-talked-about "Dujjonku" and Yonsei Milk Cream Bread, one of CU's steady sellers. The claim that the number of dessert items has been increased by about 30% compared with a typical convenience store is immediately noticeable.

This 120-square-meter store (approximately 36 pyeong) is characterized not simply by an increase in the number of dessert products, but by a complete redesign of the entire store around desserts under the concept of "Dessert Blossom."

Interior of the CU Seongsu Dessert Park branch, which opened in Seongsu-dong on the 12th. A DIY experience zone is located in one corner of the store. Han Yejoo, Reporter

Above all, the store has significantly strengthened experiential elements compared with regular branches. A DIY experience zone has been set up in one corner of the store, equipped with an oven-type air fryer, a whipping cream dispenser, and a variety of toppings. It provides guidance on "perfect pairing" recipes and cooking methods so that customers can create desserts tailored to their own tastes. A CU representative explained, "We wanted convenience stores to be more than just places to buy products, and to enable foreign customers to create viral buzz by having unique experiences in Korean convenience stores."

The product lineup has also been designed with a focus on maximizing the "dessert experience." CU has introduced a real smoothie machine that has been gaining popularity since last year. When customers place a cup filled with frozen fruits such as watermelon, mango and banana, or strawberry and banana into the machine, a smoothie is made on the spot. The store also operates a fruit vending machine that sells seasonal fruits cut and packaged in small portions. It uses a sealed refrigerator to control the temperature and enhance freshness. In addition, CU has arranged its instant drip coffee brand "get Coffee," its private brand "PBICK," which is expanding from snacks into categories such as beverages and processed meat products, as well as Delaffe iced drinks, yogurt, and a topping zone in close proximity, so that customers can purchase pairing products that go well with desserts in a single flow.

A large space has been created at the CU Convenience Store Seongsu Dessert Park branch to curate the latest popular desserts in one place. By Han Yeju

The reason CU has opened a dessert-specialized store like this lies in the steep growth of the dessert category. Last year, CU's dessert sales increased by 62.3% year-on-year. The Dubai Series, which CU introduced as an industry first, surpassed cumulative sales of 10 million units in early February, and Yonsei Milk Cream Bread, which sparked a "cream bread syndrome," is on the verge of reaching cumulative sales of 100 million units.

Another factor is that, in a situation where store-opening conditions are no longer as favorable as they once were, securing "high-profit models" rather than simply increasing the number of outlets has emerged as a key strategy in the convenience store industry. CU has already introduced various concept stores such as ramen-specialized branches, snack-specialized branches, music-library-style stores, and K-food-specialized convenience stores. The Seongsu Dessert Park branch is seen as an extension of this strategy, serving as a high-density specialized model that puts the dessert category at the forefront. In fact, the net increase in the number of CU stores last year was only 253.

Exterior view of CU Seongsu Dessert Park store. BGF Retail

Minjae Lim, Head of Sales Development at BGF Retail, said, "With global interest in K-desserts rapidly spreading, the Seongsu Dessert Park branch is a convenience store that brings together CU's capabilities in dessert product planning and trend responsiveness," adding, "We will continue to introduce differentiated models targeting both domestic and overseas customers."

The Seongsu Dessert Park branch is operated as a directly managed store. CU plans to closely analyze customer responses and sales data and then roll out the dessert-enhanced model to franchise stores nationwide. At the same time, the company intends to use it as a forward base for overseas expansion. Jeongkwon Park, Head of Sales Support at BGF Retail (Executive Director), said, "In more than 750 overseas stores in countries and regions such as Mongolia, Malaysia, and Hawaii, the response to desserts such as Yonsei Cream Bread has been remarkable," and added, "By using the Seongsu branch as a test bed, we plan to introduce dessert-specialized stores not only in Korea but also overseas."

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