Retailer / private label
UnclaimedA major South Korean convenience-store chain operated by GS Retail.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
GS25 is a South Korean convenience-store brand operated by GS Retail, which belongs to the GS Group. It serves as one of the country’s most prominent neighborhood retail networks, combining packaged grocery, beverages, snacks, household necessities, personal-care products and immediately consumable food in small-format stores. The chain is particularly associated with Korean convenience-store eating culture: stores commonly stock flavored milk, iced drinks, instant noodles, fish cakes, kimbap, prepared meals and other snacks designed for quick purchase and consumption. GS25 also develops and sells private-label products, allowing it to control product concepts and merchandising alongside nationally distributed brands. The business began in 1990 when its first store opened in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, under the name LG25. The brand name reflected its historical connection with LG Corporation. In 2005, GS Group separated from LG Corporation, and the convenience-store chain was renamed GS25 as part of the corporate reorganization. The new name preserved the established retail identity while aligning the chain with GS Group and GS Retail. GS25’s core market is South Korea, where its stores are distributed across urban neighborhoods, residential areas, transport locations and other high-frequency retail settings. The chain had 13,899 domestic stores as of June 9, 2020, and the referenced Wikipedia material reports that the nationwide total reached 18,112 by the end of 2024. The brand’s value proposition is based on proximity, extended opening hours, a broad but compact assortment, frequent food and beverage innovation, and services that reduce friction for everyday purchases. In addition to traditional walk-in retail, GS25 expanded delivery, mobile-app and membership functions during the late 2010s and early 2020s. The brand updated its visual identity in March 2019, its first such change since the transition from LG25 to GS25. New signage adopted the slogan “Lifestyle Platform,” signaling an attempt to present stores as more than simple points of sale. The positioning connected convenience retail with food, digital services, delivery and everyday lifestyle needs, although the referenced material notes that many locations still displayed the former identity during 2019. GS25 also pursued overseas expansion. It entered Vietnam in January 2018 with a store in Ho Chi Minh City, marking its first operation outside South Korea. The referenced material states that the chain had 245 stores in Vietnam by January 2024. In Mongolia, GS Retail partnered with the Shunkhlai Group, with Digital Concept obtaining master-franchise rights. GS25 opened its first three Mongolian stores in Ulaanbaatar on May 18, 2021, and later expanded to Darkhan. The foreign operations use the Korean convenience-store format while adapting the assortment and operating model to local markets. A proposed Malaysian expansion did not proceed. KK Super Mart announced a partnership with GS Retail to launch GS25 in Malaysia, with an initial outlet discussed for 2023 and an ambitious five-year store target. The parties did not conclude a contract, and KK’s arrangement was terminated after reported conflicts. Accordingly, Malaysia should not be treated as an active GS25 operating market on the available evidence. Today, GS25 is best understood as a large omnichannel convenience retailer rather than only a store-signage brand. Its business spans physical retail, prepared food, private-label development, digital membership and delivery-related services. Publicly available reference material does not identify a specific founder or current individual executive for the brand itself.
History
GS25 traces its origins to 1990, when the first store opened in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, under the name LG25. The chain was created within the retail structure associated with LG Corporation and developed as a Korean convenience-store business serving everyday, low-value and high-frequency purchases. Its stores combined packaged grocery and beverages with ready-to-eat Korean foods, snacks and household necessities. A major corporate turning point came in 2005, when GS Group separated from LG Corporation. The convenience-store chain changed its name from LG25 to GS25 to reflect the new group structure. The rebranding preserved continuity with the existing store network while establishing GS25 as a core retail identity within GS Retail and GS Group. During the following years, GS25 expanded its domestic footprint and strengthened its food-led convenience proposition. In addition to third-party brands, the chain developed private-label products and broadened its range of meals, snacks, drinks and other daily-use goods. Its stores became associated with products suited to immediate consumption, including kimbap, fish cakes, ramen, flavored milk and iced beverages. In March 2019, GS25 introduced a new visual identity and the “Lifestyle Platform” slogan. This was the brand’s first identity change since its renaming from LG25. The change was intended to communicate a broader role for the stores, encompassing food, retail services and digital convenience rather than only basic point-of-sale functionality. The transition was gradual, and the referenced material indicates that many stores continued to display the previous identity later in 2019. The brand also expanded app-based services, membership functions and delivery during the late 2010s and early 2020s. These initiatives supported a shift from a purely physical convenience-store model toward a connected retail platform. The domestic network reached 13,899 locations by June 9, 2020, and the referenced material reports 18,112 stores nationwide by the end of 2024. GS25 began international expansion in January 2018, opening its first overseas store in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Vietnam became the brand’s first foreign market and grew into a substantial network, reported at 245 stores by January 2024. The chain subsequently entered Mongolia through cooperation between GS Retail and the Shunkhlai Group. Digital Concept secured master-franchise rights, and three stores opened in Ulaanbaatar on May 18, 2021. The network later added stores in Darkhan. GS25 also explored Malaysia through a proposed arrangement with KK Super Mart. The plan contemplated an initial launch in 2023 and substantial subsequent expansion, but the parties failed to finalize a contract and the arrangement was terminated. No completed Malaysian operation is established by the available reference material. The available sources present GS25 as an active convenience-retail brand with a large South Korean base, overseas franchise or partnership operations, private-label development and growing digital service capabilities. They do not provide a reliable list of current or former individual GS25 executives.
- 2024
Domestic network reaches 18,112 stores
[1]The cited material reports 18,112 GS25 stores across South Korea by the end of 2024.
- 2021
GS25 enters Mongolia
[1]Three stores open in Ulaanbaatar through the Digital Concept master-franchise structure.
- 2020
Domestic network reaches 13,899 stores
[1]The cited reference records 13,899 stores in South Korea as of June 9, 2020.
- 2019
Brand identity is refreshed
[1]GS25 introduces a new identity and the “Lifestyle Platform” slogan for new store signage.
- 2018
International expansion begins in Vietnam
[1]GS25 opens its first store outside South Korea in Ho Chi Minh City.
- 2005
LG25 is renamed GS25
[1]Following GS Group’s separation from LG Corporation, the convenience-store brand adopts the GS25 name.
- 1990
First LG25 store opens in Seoul
[1]The first store of the chain, then called LG25, opens in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul.
Products and positioning
Mass-market, high-frequency convenience retail built around proximity, quick meals, beverages, private-label products and lifestyle-oriented digital services.
Ready-to-eat food
Prepared meals and Korean convenience foods
GS25’s food offer includes kimbap, fish cakes, ramen and other meals or snacks intended for immediate consumption. These products support the chain’s role as a quick meal destination as well as a place for routine grocery purchases.
Beverages
Beverages
The chain carries a broad range of drinks, including flavored milk and iced beverages. Beverage variety is a visible part of the GS25 assortment and complements the high-frequency, impulse-oriented nature of convenience retail.
Private label
Private-label products
GS25 develops products under its own private-label programs across food and other convenience categories. Private-label merchandise gives the retailer greater control over product development, pricing and differentiation from competing convenience chains.
Convenience retail · 1990
Daily necessities
Stores stock everyday household, personal-care and routine-use products alongside food and drinks. The assortment is designed to address immediate local needs without requiring a separate trip to a supermarket or specialty retailer.
Marketing campaigns
- 2019Lifestyle Platform brand identity
South Korea
GS25 introduced a refreshed visual identity and began using the “Lifestyle Platform” slogan on new store signage. The initiative presented the chain as a broader everyday-services and lifestyle destination.
Outcome. The new identity was introduced, although the transition remained incomplete at many stores later in 2019.
Brand decisions
2023
Abandon the proposed Malaysia partnershipM&ABackground
GS Retail and KK Super Mart discussed launching GS25 in Malaysia, with an initial store targeted for 2023 and broader expansion planned.
Action taken
The parties failed to sign a contract, and the arrangement was terminated.
Aftermath
The proposed Malaysian launch did not proceed on the available evidence.
2021
Enter Mongolia through a master-franchise structureStrategyBackground
GS Retail partnered with the Shunkhlai Group to establish a local operating and franchise platform.
Action taken
Digital Concept obtained master-franchise rights, and GS25 opened three stores in Ulaanbaatar.
Aftermath
The network later expanded to Darkhan and other Mongolian locations.
2019
Refresh the brand identityOtherBackground
GS25 had used the post-2005 identity for more than a decade and wanted to communicate a broader role for its stores.
Action taken
The chain introduced a new identity and applied the “Lifestyle Platform” slogan to new signage.
Aftermath
The identity rollout proceeded gradually across the store network.
2018
Enter the Vietnamese marketStrategyBackground
GS25 sought growth beyond its established South Korean convenience-store base.
Action taken
The brand opened its first overseas store in Ho Chi Minh City.
Aftermath
Vietnam became an established foreign market, with 245 stores reported by January 2024.
2005
Rename the chain from LG25 to GS25StrategyBackground
GS Group separated from LG Corporation, requiring the retail chain to align its name with the new corporate group.
Action taken
The convenience-store brand changed its name from LG25 to GS25.
Aftermath
GS25 became the continuing convenience-retail identity within GS Retail and GS Group.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Reported
GS25 opens its 100th store in Vietnam[3]
GS Retail opened its 100th GS25 store in Vietnam at the Becamex Binh Duong building in Binh Duong province.
Reported
GS25 opens an unmanned convenience store in Seoul[4]
GS25 opened an unmanned, frictionless-checkout convenience store in Seoul's Jung District.
Sources5 sources
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