Convenience store CU said on the 24th that it will overhaul (improve) its products to meet growing demand for ready-to-eat meals and bolster competitiveness.
The overhaul will operate on two tracks: "PBICK the Kitchen," which extends CU's flagship private brand "PBICK" to ready-to-eat meals, and "Deuktem," a value-for-money private brand. PBICK the Kitchen will be subdivided by concept into lines such as "Bap Banchan Ban," "Bap Doduk," and "Deopbap," with a total of 29 items to be rolled out sequentially.
The value-for-money "Deuktem" series includes the "Ham Cheongyang Deopbap Deuktem (3,300 won)," made with minced ham and Cheongyang chili, the "Original Kimbap Deuktem (2,200 won)" prepared with basic ingredients such as ham, imitation crab, simmered fried tofu, and egg, and the "Spicy Soy Sauce Fish Cake Triangle Kimbap (1,100 won)," among products priced around 3,000 won.
To mark the overhaul, CU will also run a "this month's special-price lunchbox" promotion. From the 25th to March 31 (weekends excluded), customers who reserve and purchase through the Pocket CU in-house commerce app will receive a 20% discount, with an additional 30% off for payments made with NH NongHyup Card or BC Card registered to CU Pay.
Lim Hyeong-geun, head of merchandising at BGF Retail, said, "As expectations for convenience store ready-to-eat meals have risen, we carried out a full overhaul to strengthen both quality and value for money," adding, "Going forward, CU will continue to raise the bar in the convenience store ready-to-eat meal market based on differentiated PB competitiveness."