Valentine's Day Returns... Jjanggu and Sanrio 'Sold Out Streak'

GS25 Valentine's Day Sales Up 128%
Mostly Purchased by Office Workers and Students
Character Collaboration Products 'Explode in Popularity'

With the full-scale reopening (resumption of economic activities) era underway, sales of Valentine's Day products at convenience stores have significantly increased this year. As commuting and school attendance have normalized, sales surged in commercial areas such as offices, elementary, middle, and high schools, and university districts.

According to CU on the 14th, sales of Valentine's Day products from the 6th to the 12th of this month rose by 36.8% compared to the same period last year. During the same period, GS25 saw a 128% increase in Valentine's Day product sales, Seven Eleven saw a 100% increase, and Emart24 saw a 21% increase.

Primarily office workers and students purchased Valentine's Day products. Looking at sales by commercial area, CU recorded sharp sales growth rates of 41.5% in entertainment districts, 38.6% in offices, 36.1% in university areas, and 35.5% in single-resident housing areas. At GS25, sales in 50 major office districts such as Gangnam and Yeouido were about twice the overall growth rate. At Emart24, the figures were 50% in academy districts, 41% in single-resident housing areas, 35% in entertainment districts, and 25% in offices, in that order.

A model is introducing Valentine's Day Jjangu character products at GS25.
[Photo by GS Retail]

Character products especially drove the sales growth. At CU, character collaboration products such as Miffy Mini Eco Bag, Wiggle Wiggle Jelly Bag, Miffy Enamel Pouch, and Flower Mini Carrier each sold over 85%, ranking high in sales. At GS25, the limited quantity of 5,000 sets of Crayon Shin-chan Crow Canyon Mini Carrier sold out on the 8th, and planned set products like Crayon Shin-chan Action Mask Carrier also sold about 80%. Originally, collaboration set products accounted for about 10-15% of total sales at GS25, but since introducing Crayon Shin-chan products starting from Pepero Day, the share has approached 60%.

At Seven Eleven, approximately 100,000 Sanrio Characters carriers sold out early within about 10 days. The Sanrio Characters carriers were exclusively sold for Valentine's Day and consisted of three mini carriers and one medium-sized carrier. Additional stock is currently being urgently procured, with plans to resell in early next month. At Emart24, the Kim Tokki Studio collaboration chocolates ranked in the top 10 and received a positive response.

A convenience store industry official said, "This year for Valentine's Day, we prepared popular character collaboration products for customers seeking special gifts, and they are loved by a wide range of age groups," adding, "We will continue to introduce differentiated products reflecting the latest trends and offer abundant events."