"Shopping Convenience Store" GS25 Targets 1,000 Fresh Convenience Store Locations by 2026
Published 21 Oct.2025 09:03(KST)
Double-Digit Sales Growth Driven by Cold Chain System
On October 21, GS25 announced its plan to expand the number of Fresh Convenience Store (FCS) locations to 1,000 by 2026. The company aims to strengthen its competitiveness in fresh food and solidify its position as a nearby grocery shopping platform for single- and two-person households.
FCS is the core model of GS25's fresh food expansion strategy, and as of this month, it has surpassed 750 locations. Compared to standard convenience stores, FCS stores offer an expanded selection of 300 to 500 additional grocery items, including agricultural, livestock, and marine products, seasonings, sauces, tofu, and ready-to-eat meals. The store size ranges from approximately 99 to 165 square meters.
Considering the increasing demand for fresh food and growing requests from franchise owners, GS25 has set a mid- to long-term goal of opening 1,000 FCS locations by 2026. The company plans to establish a comprehensive support system, including customized product assortments by store type, strengthening logistics infrastructure, and upgrading marketing strategies. GS25's fresh food sales have shown double-digit growth every year: 23.7% in 2023, 25.6% in 2024, and 27.4% from January to September 2025.
This growth is attributed to GS25's differentiated fresh food operation strategy. To maintain freshness, the company has implemented a cold chain system throughout logistics, display, and sales processes. By integrating purchasing with GS The Fresh supermarket, GS25 offers a rational price structure and a product lineup focused on smaller portions.
Additionally, GS25 operates the specialized fresh food brand "Sinsun Teukbyeolsi" and the value-oriented brand "Real Price" to enhance product competitiveness and build customer trust in convenience store fresh food. Representative products include Sinsun Teukbyeolsi Shine Muscat 200g, Real Fresh Eggs (15-pack), and Real Sliced Pork Belly (700g).
GS25 has also introduced various sales methods, such as pre-ordering seasonal products, direct sourcing from production areas, Fresh Week promotions, and special pickup events with steep discounts. The "pre-ordering seasonal products" service allows customers to order fresh seasonal foods in advance via the Our Neighborhood GS app or in-store, featuring items such as autumn blue crabs, LA galbi, red pepper powder, and pickled cabbage. The direct sourcing system supplies fresh fruit at prices lower than market rates.
"Fresh Week" runs from the 16th to the end of each month, offering 30 to 50 types of fresh food at buy-one-get-one-free or special discount prices. Sales of promotional items typically double on average and can increase up to tenfold. In addition, the Our Neighborhood GS app offers special pickup events with discounts of up to 30% on items such as white eggs, fruit, and salmon cuts.
Kim Kyunghan, Head of Fresh Food Enhancement at GS25, said, "Customer interest in the fresh food category and sales growth continue to be strong. We will continue to strengthen our product competitiveness and operational capabilities to become the leading nearby grocery shopping channel for single- and two-person households."