Top Delivery Foods... Chicken Sales of 3 Major Companies All Rise
Asian Games Korean Team Reaches Consecutive Finals on the 7th
Golden Hours for Weekend Dinner and Late-Night Snacks
World Fireworks Festival Draws 1 Million People... Increased In-Store Sales
Chicken, a representative delivery food that typically enjoys a boom during major sports events, also saw a significant surge during the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. Especially on Saturday the 7th, when the Korean team won gold medals consecutively in the finals of soccer, baseball, and badminton, the sales of the three major chicken brands (BBQ, bhc, Kyochon) exploded.
According to the chicken industry on the 10th, BBQ's average sales across nationwide stores on the 7th increased by 121.3% compared to the same day the previous week. Compared to the average Saturday sales, it also rose by 101.9%.
On the same day, bhc's sales increased by 80%, and Kyochon Chicken's by 70% compared to the same day the previous week.
The three chicken companies commonly cited that the baseball, soccer, and badminton finals, where the Korean team won, all took place during the prime evening and late-night hours when chicken demand is high, as one of the factors for the sales increase. On that day, the Korean national soccer team defeated Japan to claim the gold medal, achieving a historic three consecutive Asian Games victories. The Korean baseball team, in a rematch against Taiwan, secured their fourth consecutive Asian Games championship.
An industry official said, “Sales steadily occurred from the dinner time before the soccer, baseball, and badminton finals began, and as the national teams won consecutively in the finals, consumers celebrated by enjoying ‘Chimaek (chicken + beer),’ which significantly boosted late-night sales.”
Additionally, the 2023 Seoul World Fireworks Festival, which attracted a crowd of one million people, was held on the same day, creating an overlapping special demand for the chicken industry. According to the industry, most stores operating around Yeouido, where the festival took place, as well as in nearby districts such as Yeongdeungpo-gu, Gangseo-gu, Mapo-gu, Dongjak-gu, and Yongsan-gu, saw a large influx of customers throughout the day, greatly increasing dine-in sales.
Due to expected traffic congestion and for the safety of delivery drivers, food delivery service operators such as Baedal Minjok and Yogiyo temporarily restricted delivery services in Yeouido and surrounding areas that afternoon. The industry analyzed that instead of delivery, more customers visited the stores directly.
An industry representative stated, “From lunchtime before the festival started, consumers waiting near the site visited chicken stores, and even after the festival ended, many flocked to the stores to enjoy Chimaek, resulting in long wait times at some locations.”
Meanwhile, ahead of this Asian Games boom, the chicken industry increased order volumes by more than 20% and encouraged consumption through various events. On the 19th of last month, BBQ donated 50 million KRW to the Korean Sports Council to support the Korean athletes participating in the Asian Games. bhc held a prize event in collaboration with the soccer-specialized YouTube channel 'Eastar TV' on the days of the soccer team’s matches. Kyochon Chicken ran an event through its application where customers who predicted the results and wrote support messages for the men’s soccer, women’s soccer, and baseball matches of the Asian Games received chicken exchange vouchers.
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