"Cup Watermelon and Sliced Peaches" Convenience Store Small-Packaged Fruits Evolve

Early Summer, Increase in Single-Person Households, and Health Trends
Major Convenience Stores See Up to 70% Increase in Cut Fruit Sales

Sales of small-sized "cut fruit" sold at major convenience stores (GS25, CU, 7-Eleven, Emart24) are soaring. With the increase in single-person households and the spread of health trends, combined with the early arrival of summer heat, demand for small-sized fruits that allow easy nutrient intake has increased.

According to the distribution industry on the 26th, sales of cut fruit sold by GS25 from the 1st to the 22nd of this month increased by 14.8% compared to the same period last year. During the same period, CU saw an 11.6% increase, while 7-Eleven and Emart24 surged by 70% and 31%, respectively, compared to the previous year.

The industry analyzes that single- or two-person households, who find it burdensome to eat large fruits, mainly sought convenience store fruits that can be easily consumed. Convenience store fruits have the advantage of being ready to eat without separate washing and are sold in small portions, reducing unnecessary waste. Recently, as the weather has warmed up, more customers have been purchasing fruits to take not only at home but also to summer vacation spots.

A customer is looking at half watermelons and watermelon lunchbox products at Emart24.
[Photo by Emart24]

Accordingly, the industry is expanding its fruit product lineup while also considering ways to gain consumer trust. GS25, which currently sells about 20 types of cut fruit including watermelon and tomato, is reviewing the addition of seasonal fruits suitable for summer such as pear, peach, and blueberry. Earlier this month, they expanded their summer product lineup by launching mango watermelon and apple watermelon. Additionally, through the 'Fresh Special City' brand, which collaborates with GS The Fresh from sourcing to supply, they plan to continuously offer fresh watermelons and tomatoes to consumers at more affordable prices.

Emart24 has released various fruit sizes tailored to consumer demands, including single-serving cut fruit as well as half watermelons and whole watermelons. This is because watermelon products such as cup watermelon (180g) and watermelon lunchbox (700g) have gained popularity with the start of summer. An Emart24 representative said, "Cut fruit in convenient, single-serving sizes is gaining popularity," adding, "In addition to single-serving cup-shaped cut fruit, we are recently selling various sizes of watermelon such as half and whole watermelons to meet customer needs."