Convenience store chain CU announced on the 9th that it has surpassed 600 stores in Mongolia. The milestone comes eight years after CU became the first Korean convenience store operator to enter the Mongolian market by signing a master franchise agreement with Premium Nexus Group in 2018.
According to CU, its store count grew steadily from 21 in the first year to 56 in 2019, 103 in 2020, 441 in 2024, and 541 in 2025. The chain crossed the 600-store mark in June 2026 as it aggressively expanded into 16 regions across Mongolia beyond Ulaanbaatar.
CU held a commemorative ceremony on the 26th of last month to mark the opening of its 600th Mongolian store. Attendees included Jin Young-ho, head of merchandising and overseas business at BGF Retail (282330.KS); Yoo Sun-woong, head of the overseas business office; Premium Group Chairman Ganhuyag Adilbish; and key working-level staff.
CU's 600th store in Mongolia, the Khutag-Undur soum store, is a roadside outlet located in the Bulgan aimag region, 600 kilometers west of the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar. Targeting tourists and long-haul truck drivers as its main customers, the store offers shower facilities in addition to standard convenience store products. It was also built as an eco-friendly, community-oriented store, becoming the first convenience store in Mongolia to introduce solar power generation facilities and an electric vehicle charging station, along with a dedicated space for selling local agricultural products.
CU's localization strategy aligns with the eco-friendly and community-partnership policies currently being pursued by the Mongolian government. Mongolian Prime Minister Nyam-Osor Uchral said the government would make eco-friendly stores like the CU Khutag-Undur soum store—created through Premium Nexus's environmental, social, and governance (ESG) management efforts—the nationwide standard for retail outlets.
With the opening of its 600th store in Mongolia, CU plans to move beyond the traditional convenience store role centered on selling general merchandise. The company intends to fully pursue a strategy that expands its function as a lifestyle platform and encompasses the creation of social value.
CU also plans to boost operational efficiency by transferring the know-how it has accumulated, applying the digital picking system used in Korea to local logistics centers in Mongolia and introducing BGF's global IT system. In particular, on the product side, the company expects to promote K-food and K-beauty in Mongolia by combining Koreanization and localization strategies.
CU will also continue its ESG activities. Since 2011, CU has worked with the Korean Committee for UNICEF through the "Collecting Coins of Love" campaign, supporting the installation of eco-friendly, high-efficiency gers (traditional Mongolian dwellings) and improving children's educational environments. The company is also conducting afforestation activities to prevent desertification in Mongolia using funds raised through its "Paperless Campaign" to reduce paper receipts.
"Over the past eight years, together with the efforts of our partner Premium Nexus, CU has established itself in Mongolia as a lifestyle platform that changes the daily lives and culture of local customers, going beyond a space that simply sells products," said Jin Young-ho, head of merchandising and overseas business at BGF Retail. "Going forward, CU will lead the future of Mongolia's retail market by embracing diverse social values, including food innovation, eco-friendly infrastructure, and community partnership."
