University Battle Unfolds at Convenience Store... Korea University Bread and Yonsei Cream Bread Popular

Average 18,000 Godae Bread Sold Daily
Yonsei Cream Bread Surpasses 18 Million Cumulative Sales
Emart24's Cheongchun Bus 273 Ready Meals 'Popular'

A customer is purchasing a Gode 1905 apple jam pastry at CU. (Photo by BGF Retail)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The university battle is heating up at convenience stores. The product shelves are hosting the ‘Yeongojun·Goyeonjun’ rivalry, and popular university-area eateries can now be easily enjoyed through ready-to-eat meals. These products are gaining great popularity among students preparing for entrance exams as well as current university students and graduates.

According to CU on the 9th, the ‘Kodae1905 Apple Jam Pastry,’ launched in collaboration with Korea University, sells an average of 18,000 units per day and surpassed 100,000 units sold within just six days of release. This is more than twice as fast as the initial sales pace of the Yonsei Milk Cream Bread.

The Kodae bread features apple jam developed in-house by CU. It contains sweet apple jam filling made by finely chopping domestically grown high-sugar apples, simmered with sugar, lemon, and cinnamon powder, along with red bean paste inside a rolled pastry. More than half of the total weight is filled with toppings, boasting bakery-level taste and quality. The product packaging is designed inspired by the Korea University varsity jacket.

Yonsei Milk Fresh Cream Bread sold at CU. (Photo by BGF Retail)

University-area popular eateries can also be experienced at convenience stores. Emart24 has partnered with university-area restaurants to launch the ‘Youth Bus 273’ product line. Bus number 273 runs between Sinchon and Daehak-ro, passing more than 10 universities in Seoul, and is known as an unofficial school bus among the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z).

Representative products include Yeongcheol Street Burger (Korea University), Meat Tteokbokki (Kyung Hee University), and Bread and Fruit Sandwich (Ewha Womans University), among six types, each ranking within the top five in sales within their categories. By commercial district, sales proportions were highest in residential areas (55%), followed by office districts (18%), and academy districts (12%).

A convenience store industry official said, "We are putting countless research and effort into collaborating with universities and popular eateries to offer highly complete and differentiated quality products," adding, "As expectations for convenience store food increase, we will continue to delight customers with innovative new products."