GS25, Ice Coffee Sales Up 32.3%
Ice Cup Sales Also 'Surge'
Discount Events Due to Ice Cream Popularity
Office worker Lee Jeong-min (35, female) buys iced Americano near her office every day. There is nothing better than this to fully wake up early in the morning and start work. She said, "Caffeine is a must-have for office workers," and added, "Convenience store coffee is cost-effective, so I use it often."
Although the temperature has dropped sharply recently and cold weather continues, cold products such as iced coffee, ice cups, and ice cream are selling like hotcakes at convenience stores. This is because the trend of Eoljuka (iced coffee no matter how cold) has firmly taken root among the main customer base, the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z).
According to CU on the 12th, iced coffee sales from the 1st to the 8th of this month increased by 9.3% compared to the same period last year. This figure is ahead of the warm coffee sales growth rate (6.6%). During the same period, GS25 recorded a 32.3% increase in iced coffee sales and 27.5% in warm coffee sales. Seven Eleven saw a 15% increase in iced coffee sales, and Emart24 saw a 10% increase.
Sales of ice cups, a symbol of summer products, also increased noticeably. At CU, ice cup sales rose by 7.6%, GS25 by 22%, Seven Eleven by 20%, and Emart24 by 9%. Unlike in the past, the use of ice cups is gradually expanding beyond coffee to pouch drinks, carbonated beverages, and alcoholic drinks. In fact, GS25 saw a 32.2% increase in carbonated beverage sales, and Seven Eleven saw sales of pouch drinks and carbonated beverages jump by 60% and 15%, respectively.
Cold ice cream is popular even in the middle of winter. At CU, ice cream sales increased by 8.3%, GS25 by 18.7%, and Seven Eleven by 35%. Each company is holding discount events this month to meet the demand for ice cream. CU offers a 50% discount when purchasing five or more of about 20 types of ice cream. GS25 is running a 1+1 event on H?agen-Dazs pint products. Seven Eleven has prepared 1+1 and 2+1 events for about 100 types, and Emart24 for about 150 types.
A convenience store industry official said, "For several years, the so-called Eoljuka trend, enjoying iced coffee or ice cream even in cold winters, has been rising and continues despite this year's cold wave," adding, "We are targeting consumers by stocking a variety of iced products."
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