South Korean convenience stores drive bakery growth via fandom goods

South Korean convenience store chains are transforming their bakery sectors by shifting from simple snacks to collectible, high-quality products driven by fandom marketing and premium ingredients.

GS25 has seen significant success with its collaboration with publisher Minumsa. The ‘Minumsa Bread’ series, which includes random transparent bookmarks, has sold 1.41 million units. This trend is supported by the ‘text hip’ culture among younger consumers who use literary themes to express their tastes. Similarly, CU has leveraged idol fandoms by collaborating with the girl group Rescene. Their ‘BAKE405’ line, which includes random photo cards, saw its first product sell 99% of its 30,000-unit supply on the launch day.

Beyond collectibles, retailers are competing on product quality to differentiate themselves from traditional bakeries. CU has focused on increasing butter and milk content while reducing additives. Emart24 has also introduced premium options, such as its Seongsu310 milk cream bread, which utilizes domestic cream and specialized fermentation methods to maintain texture. These improvements allow convenience stores to offer high-quality alternatives at a more accessible price point of 2,000 to 3,000 won, even as general bread inflation rises.