Kang Minkyung Raved, "Worth the Money," Then It Sold Out in 10 Minutes... Convenience Store Collaborations Pay Off

Sikmulwon Gimbap Collaboration Products Sell Out: All 500 Units Prepared for Advance Reservations Sold in 10 Minutes
Targeting Gimbap Demand with Unusual Combinations

GS25, the convenience store chain operated by GS Retail, is stepping up its push into the kimbap market by partnering with popular restaurants and turning recipes that have generated buzz on social media in Korea and abroad into products.

GS25 said on October 16 that sales in its kimbap category rose 36.2% from a year earlier between October 1 and 15.

GS25, the convenience store chain operated by GS Retail, has been rolling out new kimbap products inspired by popular restaurant dishes and overseas food trends. Its strategy is to appeal to consumers seeking distinctive flavors by adding unusual ingredients and generous toppings to familiar kimbap.

YouTube Kang Min-kyung

Recently, GS25 partnered with Sikmulwon Gimbap, a kimbap specialist that drew attention after a well-known celebrity introduced it on YouTube, to launch Pollack Roe Whole-Egg Kimbap and Flying Fish Roe and Aged Kimchi Kimbap. The products bring to convenience-store fare Sikmulwon Gimbap's signature use of generous amounts of healthy ingredients, such as eggs and avocados.

The flagship product, Pollack Roe Whole-Egg Kimbap, is a reimagining of Sikmulwon Gimbap's popular Pollack Roe Egg Kimbap. It features savory black rice with a whole rolled omelet and pollack roe, and costs 3,900 won. During presales on October 13, all 500 prepared units sold out in 10 minutes. The product also drew interest after making the Top 10 of real-time search terms on the Wooridongne GS app.

Flying Fish Roe and Aged Kimchi Kimbap, launched on October 7, combines flying fish roe and tuna with aged kimchi and romaine lettuce to create a distinctive texture and flavor. It costs 3,700 won, and all 500 prepared units sold out within an hour of presales opening. Cumulative sales also surpassed 100,000 units just one week after launch.

Buldak Cheese Omelet Kimbap, launched on September 16, has also continued to sell well. The product draws on a Buldak omelet recipe that went viral on overseas social media as a Myeongdong street food. It features rice seasoned with Samyang's original Buldak sauce, topped with cheese, sausage and omelet. It costs 3,500 won.

Cumulative sales of the product surpassed 500,000 units within a month of its launch. In the three weeks after launch, it ranked first in both cumulative sales revenue and units sold in the kimbap category.

Pan Seonyeong, a manager on GS Retail's Fresh Food team, said, "As kimbap made with unusual ingredient combinations has been generating buzz on social media, demand is growing among customers looking for distinctive flavors. We will develop a variety of kimbap products inspired by food trends in Korea and abroad to offer customers new experiences."

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