Lingerie Arrives at Convenience Stores... CU Launches Vivian Women's Underwear Collection

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] CU is partnering with Namyoung Vivian to launch women's underwear in eco-friendly packaging targeting young women in their 20s and 30s on the 21st of this month.

The Vivian women's underwear introduced by CU this time includes three types (each priced at 9,900 KRW): summer essential shorts (sizes S~M, black) and sanitary panties (sizes 90, 95, navy) mainly worn by women during their menstrual period.

While CU has operated general men's and women's underwear, this is the first time they are selling shorts and sanitary panties specifically for women.

The shorts are made of lightweight and soft rayon material, providing a good feel and excellent ventilation. The sanitary panties use hem fabric on the hip line so that the panty line is not visible when worn, and the back of the panties is reinforced with a waterproof layer to prevent menstrual blood leakage.

In particular, the packaging of these products has been designed as eco pouches made of fabric instead of conventional OPP film or plastic packaging to protect the environment. To reduce harmful substances, the dyeing process was also omitted. After opening, the pouch can be reused as a portable pouch for cosmetics or women's products.

Meanwhile, an analysis of consumer trends who purchased innerwear (underwear) at CU last year showed that women (54.6%) buy underwear at convenience stores about 10% more than men (45.4%).

Looking at sales by time of day, underwear sales at convenience stores accounted for about half during nighttime hours. The evening hours from 7 PM to 10 PM accounted for the highest sales share at 24.9%, followed by late-night hours from 11 PM to 2 AM at 22.3%, and afternoon hours from 3 PM to 6 PM at 16.8%.

Osujeong, MD of the Household Goods Team at BGF Retail, said, “We are expanding the product lineup so that women can easily purchase necessary women's products at convenience stores 24 hours a day according to their lifestyle. We plan to monitor customer response and sales status of women's underwear and expand products into more diverse categories in the future.”