Convenience Store Self-Test Kit Sales Surge Again Amid COVID-19 Spread

Sales of Masks, a Quarantine Supply, Also Soar

As the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases, which had been quiet for a while, is rapidly increasing again, sales of self-diagnostic kits at major convenience stores (CU, GS25, Seven Eleven) are also on the rise.

A customer is purchasing a self-diagnosis kit and a mask at a CU store.
[Photo by BGF Retail]

According to GS25 on the 27th, sales of self-diagnostic kits from the 1st to the 25th of this month increased by 45.5% compared to the same period last month. During the same period, CU saw a 35.8% increase, and Seven Eleven saw a 30% increase.

The industry believes that as COVID-19 continues to spread recently, more people are turning to convenience store self-diagnostic kits again. Sales of convenience store self-diagnostic kits are known as a "barometer" of the COVID-19 spread trend, moving sensitively in line with the number of confirmed cases. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the weekly new COVID-19 confirmed cases maintained between 110,000 and 120,000 in May and June, then increased to 152,000 in the first week of July (2nd?8th) and 186,000 in the second week (9th?15th). The most recent third week (16th?22nd) saw about 253,000 new confirmed cases, a 35.8% increase compared to the previous week..

Sales of masks, a representative quarantine item, are also rising accordingly. CU's mask sales from the 1st to the 25th of this month increased by 7% compared to the same period last month. This is the first time this year that mask sales, which had been declining for several months, have turned to an upward trend. GS25 and Seven Eleven have also seen an increase in customers seeking masks recently.

An industry official said, "As the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases increases recently, sales of self-diagnostic kits are definitely rising," adding, "We are making efforts to manage inventory so that quarantine items such as self-diagnostic kits and masks do not run out."