Huge Korean convenience store chain seemingly opening first Toronto location
A major South Korea-based convenience store chain might soon be opening its first-ever Canadian location in Toronto, but whether the city's new location is actually the real deal is up for debate.
If you're a fan of Korean supermarkets in Toronto but are getting bored with your tried-and-true HMart and PAT Central, it looks like there'll soon be a new option for you to do your shopping at, as GS25 seemingly sets up shop in the city.
Operated by South Korean supermarket chain GS Retail, GS25 has been a force across Asia for over 30 years, boasting over 18,000 locations in Korea, Vietnam and Mongolia as of 2024. The impending Toronto location marks not only the chain's first in the city, but its first in the Western hemisphere entirely.
The chain is popular for its wide-spanning selection of Korean snacks and prepared foods like ramen, fried chicken, fish cakes and ice cream, on top of an enormous selection of beverages and, perhaps its biggest claim to fame, 24-hour shopping.
While no official announcement has been issued by GS25 or GS Retail, videos have begun popping up on social media showing that signage is up on the first Toronto location of the chain, with, confusingly, an outdated version of the GS25 logo, in Church-Wellesley Village.
The use of the old logo, paired with the fact that nothing has yet been announced about an official North American GS25 expansion, raises the question of whether our GS25 will actually be the real thing or just an egregious knockoff using an expired logo.
blogTO contacted GS25 for confirmation, but at the time of publication, has not yet received a response.
The shop appears to be taking over the 499 Church S. space that, up until 2025, housed Toronto's iconic Glad Day bookshop for nearly a decade, but not to fear: Glad Day has since reopened at 32 Lisgar St.
There's no word yet on when GS25 Toronto will officially open for business, but with signage already up, it shouldn't be too much longer.
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