[Edaily Reporter Kyung Gye-young] CU, a convenience store chain operated by #BGF Retail, announced on the 14th that it will release bread, macarons, and candies featuring the character "Little RIIZE" to commemorate the release of the second album by SM Entertainment's artist group RIIZE.

As K-pop fandom consumption has expanded from albums to intellectual property (IP) collaboration merchandise (goods), CU has strengthened its role as a communication platform connecting fans and artists by launching products in collaboration with aespa, KEY, ITZY, QWER, and others. The year-over-year sales growth rate for CU’s K-pop artist collaboration merchandise reached 21.5% last year and 40.7% from January to May of this year.

The collaboration merchandise that CU is rolling out starting on the 17th utilizes the “Little RISE” IP, featuring characters drawn by the members of RISE themselves.

Three types of bread—Strawberry Bousse, Honey Danish, and Choco Angba—will be released, with each package featuring illustrations of the characters Rizko and Ddolbyeong, Urakbam and Myeongryong, and Songyongdori and Tonyangdeok. Each bread item comes with one randomly selected sticker out of 54 varieties.

The macarons come in two flavors: Strawberry Banana Chocolate (StrawBanChoc) and Yogurt Matcha Cookie & Cream (YogurtMatchaCookieCream). Each macaron is decorated with a Little Rise character’s face, and one of 12 Little Rise character epoxy stickers is randomly included inside.

"Bottle Candy," launching on the 8th of next month, features six Little Rise characters, each represented by a different design, with star-shaped candies inside. The product is designed with a loop at the top so it can be used as a keychain.

To commemorate the release of RISE’s second mini-album and the launch of the Little RISE collaboration products, CU will operate a pop-up store at the CU Seongsu Dessert Park branch in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, from the 20th until the 5th of next month. This location is particularly popular among foreign visitors, with foreign customers accounting for over 30% of its sales.

The pop-up store will be decorated with posters featuring RISE members, and a space will be set up for customers to leave messages for the group. Customers who make purchases on-site will receive limited-edition gifts, such as pin badges featuring the Little RISE characters.

Park Hee-jin, Head of the Strategic MD Team at BGF Retail, stated, “In an era where 20 million foreign tourists visit Korea annually, convenience stores—a must-visit destination for tourists—and K-pop are creating synergy to provide consumers with a unique experience.” She added, “Moving forward, CU will continue to expand its role as a platform for communication, connecting domestic and international K-pop fan communities with various artists.”