Fear of Novel Coronavirus... Convenience Store Masks and Cold Medicine Sell Like Hotcakes During Seollal Holiday

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] During the Lunar New Year holiday, anxiety about the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) spread nationwide, leading to a surge in customers seeking masks and cold medicine at convenience stores. The closure of hospitals and pharmacies during the holiday had a significant impact.

According to BGF Retail on the 28th, CU analyzed sales of related products over the past week from the 20th to the 27th, since the first confirmed case of Wuhan pneumonia in Korea, and found that mask sales surged by 10.4 times compared to the previous month.

Generally, convenience store mask sales increase about 5 to 8 times in winter due to the influence of fine dust, but during the holiday period, the increase due to Wuhan pneumonia reached an all-time high.

As the government emphasized preventive measures such as hand washing against Wuhan pneumonia, sales of hygiene products also rose. Gargle products for rinsing the mouth and throat increased by 162.2%, and hand sanitizers for bacteria removal grew by 121.8%. Soap and body wash sales also increased by 74.6% and 30.9%, respectively.

Since symptoms of Wuhan pneumonia, such as coughing and fever, are similar to cold symptoms, more people sought cold medicine and fever reducers at convenience stores during the holiday. Sales of over-the-counter medicines for safety during the holiday rose by 242.5%. Among them, cold medicine increased by 250.2%, and fever reducers by 181.8%, showing a much higher growth rate than digestive aids (93.3%), which generally have high sales indices during the holiday period.

This is analyzed to be due to increased contact with others during the large-scale homecoming and return trips over the holiday, coupled with the emergence of the fourth confirmed case of Wuhan pneumonia, which heightened public anxiety. In fact, the government raised the infectious disease crisis alert from ‘caution’ to ‘warning’ on the 27th.

CU is supporting the government’s response to Wuhan pneumonia by thoroughly checking inventory of hygiene products at stores nationwide to ensure stable product supply, and is guiding store employees on preventive measures such as wearing masks and hand washing to help prevent virus spread.

Kim Myung-soo, head of the MD Support Team at BGF Retail, said, "During the Lunar New Year holiday, anxiety about Wuhan pneumonia increased nationwide, and demand for masks surged to the point of selling out at airports, terminals, and rest areas. With pharmacies and hospitals closed, many people sought over-the-counter medicines such as cold medicine at nearby convenience stores even for mild symptoms."