CU retakes position as South Korea's largest convenience store chain

Making the top three are GS25 and 7-Eleven.

CU recaptured the top position as South Korea’s largest convenience store chain in 2020, a year after losing the title, Yonhap reported based on data from the Financial Supervisory Service and industry sources.

Operated by BGF Retail, the company has 14,923 outlets across the nation as of end-2020, rising 1,046 from the previous year and the largest among local industry players.

GS25 came second with 14,688 outlets nationwide, climbing 770 from a year earlier.

7-Eleven ranked third with 10,501 outlets last year, growing from 10,016 a year earlier, followed by Emart24 with 5,165, up from 4,485.

The top four industry players account for nearly 90% of convenience stores nationwide, according to industry sources.

GS25 emerged as the leading convenience store chain in Asia's fourth-largest economy with 13,918 stores in 2019, relegating CU to the runner-up position for the first time in 17 years.