[Edaily Reporter Han Jeon-jin ] BGF Retail(282330)has completed construction of a logistics center in Busan with a total investment of 260 billion won. As the largest facility of its kind in the domestic convenience store industry, it will serve as a hub to enhance logistics efficiency in the Busan and Yeongnam regions while also handling international import and export logistics in conjunction with the Busan New Port.

BGF Retail announced on the 16th that it will hold a completion ceremony for the Busan Logistics Center at the Busan International Industrial Logistics City in Gurang-dong, Gangseo-gu, Busan. The event will be attended by group executives, including BGF Group Chairman Hong Seok-jo, BGF Retail Vice Chairman Jeong Guk Hong, and BGF Retail Head of Strategy and Innovation Oh Jeong-hu, as well as key figures from the Busan region.

The Busan Logistics Center was constructed on a 47,186.8-square-meter (approximately 14,300 pyeong) site with a total floor area of 128,072.65 square meters (approximately 38,700 pyeong). With a total project cost of approximately 260 billion won, it represents the largest logistics infrastructure investment by BGF Retail to date. Following the signing of an investment agreement with the Busan Metropolitan City in 2021, construction began in 2024 and was completed last July.

The cold-storage center is currently operational, and the ambient-temperature center is scheduled to begin operations by the end of this year. BGF Retail plans to use this facility as a key hub to reorganize the delivery system for the Busan and Yeongnam regions in response to the annual increase in stores and products handled, ensuring a stable supply of goods to CU stores.

It will also leverage its location behind the Busan New Port to support overseas operations. The company intends to develop the facility into a global logistics infrastructure responsible for import and export logistics, in line with CU’s expansion into overseas markets such as Mongolia, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, and Hawaii.

The center is equipped with automated facilities such as a shuttle-based automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS), automatic labelers, and a digital picking system (DPS). The focus was on improving the efficiency of product intake, outbound shipping, and sorting; responding to fluctuations in cargo volume; and reducing repetitive, physically demanding tasks. It has also received a Grade 1 preliminary certification as a Smart Logistics Center from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

A solar power generation facility capable of producing up to 2,700 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity annually has also been installed. BGF Retail plans to create new jobs in the Busan area through the operation of the center.

Hong Seok-jo, Chairman of BGF Group, stated, “The Busan Logistics Center is a crucial stepping stone to taking CU’s logistics competitiveness to the next level,” adding, “We will strengthen franchisees’ competitiveness through stable product supply and efficient logistics operations, and make this a growth engine for CU as it expands into the global market.”