Korean convenience-store chain CU has made its U.S. debut with the opening of its store in Honolulu.
CU has more than 18,500 stores across South Korea and 730 stores globally. It’s owned by BGF Retail, which signed a master franchise agreement with Hawaii-based CU Hawaii LLC to expand throughout the state.
On Wednesday, CU opened its first U.S. store at 1088 Bishop St. Hundreds of customers were lined up for the grand opening, and the store was given a traditional Hawaiian blessing, CU said. The 2,900-square-foot store will be open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. and employs 20 people. The storefront features a green, purple and white sign that says “Nice to CU.”
The convenience store will carry many of its exclusive Korean drinks and snacks that have become popular worldwide, the chain said. The store offers dozens of ramen/ramyun varieties, and features a ramyun wall and cooking stations where customers can make instant ramen on-site.
CU Hawaii also partnered with local celebrity chef Sheldon Simeon to develop the Ho‘ina line of grab-and-go dishes, which includes his garlic noodles, smoked ahi onigiri, kalbi, kimchi bento and more, CU said. It also worked with local designer Kūha‘o Zane, who created exclusive design and branding elements to give the location a sense of place unique to Hawaii. The downtown Honolulu location also features Island Vintage Coffee and lei from Lin’s Lei Shop.
“Hawaii is the perfect place for Asian-style convenience stores that offer unique snacks and fresh convenient options,” said Robert Kurisu, CU Hawaii CEO. “In bringing CU to Hawaii, we wanted to share Korean culture with the local audience and also ensure we offered products and foods that would appeal to a local audience with these partnerships.”
CU Hawaii has also launched a rewards app. New users receive 150 points upon download and activation.
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