The convenience store industry is expanding delivery services to a 24-hour operation to meet growing late-night demand. CU, operated by BGF Retail, and GS25 of GS Retail said on the 18th that starting on the 19th they will partner with Coupang Eats to offer 24-hour delivery.
CU will begin deliveries from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m., hours that were not previously in operation. The service areas are regions where Coupang Eats provides 24-hour delivery for participating stores, including Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi, Gwangju, Busan, and Daejeon.
Within the Coupang Eats grocery and shopping menus, CU will deliver about 8,000 items through a CU-only tab, including lunch boxes, ramen, desserts, beverages, and daily necessities. Currently, there are about 7,500 CU stores nationwide offering delivery linked with Coupang Eats.
GS25 will establish a 24-hour delivery system by starting deliveries from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. at about 1,000 stores in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and the six major metropolitan cities. The company plans to expand delivery coverage to all areas where Coupang Eats begins 24-hour operations.
The backdrop to both companies adopting 24-hour delivery is the rapid growth in late-night demand. CU's overall delivery sales growth rate was 98.6% in 2023, 142.8% in 2024, 65.4% in 2025, and 91.6% from January to April this year. Over the same periods, late-night delivery sales grew 138.0% in 2023, 167.5% in 2024, 86.6% in 2025, and 120% from January to April this year, outpacing overall growth.
Since Nov. last year, GS25 has offered late-night delivery until 3 a.m. at about 2,500 stores. Delivery sales during the late-night hours from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. at those stores rose 42.7% in six months. The share of late-night delivery in total delivery sales also climbed by 4.3 percentage points, from 17.4% in Nov. last year to 21.7% in Apr. this year.
In just a few years, competition in the "quick commerce (instant delivery)" market across retail, including convenience stores, has intensified. According to global market research firm Statista, Korea's quick commerce market was 4.4 trillion won last year and is projected to grow to 5.9 trillion won by 2030.