Food Convenience-store & dining launches
Korea · 2026 week 37 (09.07 - 09.13) · 7 entries
Convenience stores
- 01
emart24 x Ppangtube Pony, season 2
emart24 launched five breads and desserts — corn, injeolmi and others — with dessert creator Ppangtube Pony.
Started 2026.09 · Traffic emart24 launch announcement - 02
GS25 Soft triangle kimbap
GS25 spent about a year on the process to launch a reworked triangle kimbap built around the taste of the rice itself.
Started 2026.09 · Traffic GS25 launch announcement - 03
Convenience-store highballs: triple-digit growth three years running
CU highball sales grew 553% in 2023, 315% in 2024 and 190% in 2025, with the zero-sugar lineup still expanding.
Started 2023-2025 cumulative, ongoing in 2026 · Traffic BGF Retail · CU highball sales +190% YoY (2025) - 04
Chuseok gift sets now include gold bars and a robot
CU is pre-selling some 710 Chuseok gift sets through 18 September, and emart24 grew its fresh-food count about 30% year on year. The range now runs to gold bars, spirits, character goods and a humanoid robot.
Started 2026.09 (pre-order through 09.18) · Traffic CU ~710 sets · emart24 fresh food +30% 
Culinary Class Wars tie-ins
Products made with Culinary Class Wars are in the stores — watch the dish, buy the dish.
Started 2026 · Traffic Convenience-store sellout item
Wasabi pollock-roe balls, crab-flavour snacks, a steak ice bar
Familiar categories keep getting unfamiliar flavours. Shelf turnover is fast enough that a miss costs little.
Started 2026 · Traffic Shortening launch cycle
Small luxury
The convenience store has become a place that curates trends. People who can't buy the big thing still buy the small satisfaction.
Started Ongoing through 2026 · Traffic Spending that holds up despite prices
Sources · Travel & Taste · Cook & Chef News · Seoul Tourism Organization
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