GS25 bets on famous eateries and viral recipes to drive 36% kimbap sales surge

A flying fish roe and aged kimchi kimbap roll developed by GS25 in collaboration with the popular eatery Sikmulwon Kimbap. [GS25]
A flying fish roe and aged kimchi kimbap roll developed by GS25 in collaboration with the popular eatery Sikmulwon Kimbap. [GS25]

GS Retail said Friday that its convenience store chain GS25 has seen a string of hits with differentiated kimbap products developed in partnership with well-known restaurants and trending recipes.

Kimbap category sales at GS25 from Oct. 1 to 15 climbed 36.2 percent year-on-year, GS Retail said, attributing the growth to new kimbap products that reflect the latest food trends and have resonated with customers.

A standout example is a collaboration with Sikmulwon Kimbap, a restaurant widely dubbed the "Hermès of kimbap." The eatery gained widespread attention after singer Kang Min-kyung featured it on her YouTube channel.

"Myeongnan Tong-gyeran Kimbap," a GS25 reinterpretation of Sikmulwon Kimbap's signature menu item, sold out its initial run of 500 units within 10 minutes of pre-orders opening on Tuesday. The product also ranked among the top 10 real-time search terms on the Woori Dongne GS app.

An earlier collaboration product — flying fish roe and aged kimchi kimbap — launched Wednesday and sold out its 500-unit pre-order allotment within an hour. It went on to surpass 100,000 cumulative sales within a week of its release.

GS25 also launched a spicy chicken cheese omelet kimbap on Sept. 16, drawing on a viral omelet recipe that had gained traction on social media as a Myeong-dong street food. That product exceeded 500,000 cumulative sales within a month and topped the kimbap category in both cumulative sales and units sold for three consecutive weeks.

"As kimbap featuring unusual ingredient combinations has gone viral on social media, more customers are seeking out distinctive flavors," said Pan Seon-yeong, a manager on GS Retail's FF team. "We will continue developing a diverse range of kimbap to offer customers new and exciting experiences."


spa@heraldcorp.com