Cafe 25 opens 10,000th store

Convenience-store brand GS25 says 10,000 of its outlets now serve coffee products distributed under its house brand Cafe 25, just 30 months after the brand was launched.

The figures show how successful South Korea’s convenience stores have been in challenging coffee-focused chains like Lotte’s Angel-in-Us and even Starbucks, by offering discounted alternatives through vast store networks.

The GS Retail-owned group says it has already surpassed the 100 million-mark for the total number of coffee products sold, with Cafe 25 selling 40 million cups in the first half of this year alone.

GS25 is putting significant effort into making the coffee products successful by installing top-notch coffee machines that sell for 13 million won (US$11,440) in each of its stores.To commemorate 10,000 GS25 store milestone, the company will be selling 50,000 promotional coupons online via Gmarket and Auction that allow customers to buy iced Americanos and iced lattes for half the usual price.

An official at GS25 said the success of Cafe 25 products can be explained by the company’s bid to offer high-quality coffee products at affordable prices, while also leveraging the chain’s vast network of stores.