GS25 () is a South Korean chain of

convenience store A convenience store, convenience shop, bakkal, bodega, corner store, corner shop, superette or mini-mart is a small retail store that stocks a range of everyday items such as convenience food, groceries, beverages, tobacco products, lotter ...

s operated and owned by GS Retail, a subsidiary company of the GS Group. The headquarters of the company are located at the GS Tower in

Gangnam-gu Gangnam District (; ) is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. The term ''Gangnam'' translates to "South of the Han River". Gangnam District is the third largest district in Seoul, with an area of . As of the 2024 census, Gangna ...

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. As of June 9, 2020, GS25 operates 13,899 stores. GS25 is known for having hundreds of locations all over South Korea. They are also known for their large variety of drinks such as different flavored milks and iced beverages. They also carry a variety of Korean snacks as well as ramen, fish cakes, and kimbabs.

History

GS25, then known as LG25, opened their first store in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, in 1990. However, in 2005, GS Group split from the

LG Corporation LG Corporation (or LG Group), formerly known as Lucky-Goldstar, is a South Korean multinational conglomerate founded by Koo In-hwoi in 1947 and managed by successive generations of his family. It is the fourth-largest company in South Korea ...

, the name of LG25 was correspondingly changed to GS25. In March 2019, GS25 changed their brand identity for the first time since changing their name to GS25. With the new identity, a new slogan of "Lifestyle Platform" began to be applied to all new store signage. However, as of August 2019, most stores still use the former identity.

Foreign operations

Vietnam

In January 2018, GS25 ventured outside of South Korea for the first time in its history by launching a store in

Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

. As of April 2023, GS25 operates 213 stores throughout

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

Mongolia

Through a collaborative investment between the Shunkhlai Group and GS Retail, Digital Concept was established, securing the master franchise rights for the renowned GS25 brand. On May 18, 2021, GS25 officially opened in Mongolia with three stores in

Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Mongolia, most populous city of Mongolia. It has a population of 1.6 million, and it is the coldest capital city in the world by average yearly temperature. The municipa ...

. As of December 18, 2022, GS25 has opened 124 stores throughout Ulaanbaatar. As of April 27, 2023, the company has opened 2 stores in Darkhan, the second-largest city in Mongolia. Two years after its establishment, Digital Concept LLC achieved a prominent position as one of Mongolia's "TOP 100 Companies" and expanded its retail presence from over 200 stores, with plans to reach 300.

Malaysia

Malaysia-based KK Super Mart has announced to partnered with GS Retail to launch GS25 in Malaysia following the trend of Korean convenience stores, which both CU and e-mart24 has already arrived in the country. The first outlet was set to be launched in 2023 while targeting to launch 500 outlets within five years. However, it failed to sign a contract in early 2023 due to frequent conflicts with KK group, who then terminated the contract.

References