Sold 47 per day in Bundang... CU Yonsei Milk Cream Bread Surpasses 50 Million Units Sold

Cumulative 50 Million Differentiated Products Sold, Industry First
30 Million Sold Last Year... Annual Sales Growth Increasing

CU's Total Dessert Sales More Than Double Year-on-Year
Expansion to Taiwan Following Mongolia and Malaysia Planned

CU, a convenience store operated by BGF Retail, announced on the 18th that the cumulative sales of the Yonsei Milk Cream Bread series have surpassed 50 million units two years after its launch this month.

CU announced on the 18th that the cumulative sales of the Yonsei Milk Cream Bread series surpassed 50 million units two years after its launch this month.
[Photo by BGF Retail]

CU's Yonsei Milk Cream Bread was first released in January 2022 and gained popularity through word of mouth on social media (SNS). According to CU, a total of 11 types of Yonsei Milk Cream Bread have been released so far, with each launch causing a sell-out frenzy.

This is also the first time in the industry that a differentiated convenience store product has exceeded 50 million units in cumulative sales in such a short period. Simply calculated, this means an average of 68,000 units sold per day, about 47 units per minute, which is equivalent to every person in South Korea having eaten one. Looking at the sales by year, sales increased from 19 million units in the launch year 2022 to 30 million units last year, a 57.9% increase compared to the previous year.

Thanks to the popularity of Yonsei Milk Cream Bread, CU's overall dessert sales also rose by 104.4% compared to the previous year. The Yonsei Milk Cream Bread series accounts for 40.8% of CU's dessert sales. CU explained that the sales growth of Yonsei Milk Cream Bread has maximized the advertising and marketing effects of Yonsei Milk and the small and medium-sized partner companies responsible for manufacturing, thereby driving their sales growth as well.

Last year, the sales ranking of Yonsei Milk Cream Bread was as follows: Milk Fresh Cream Bread, Chocolate Fresh Cream Bread, Matcha Fresh Cream Bread, Yellow Cheese Fresh Cream Bread, and Corn Fresh Cream Bread. Among these, the Milk and Chocolate Fresh Cream Breads accounted for 40% of total sales. The Yellow Cheese and Corn Fresh Cream Breads, re-released last year through the 'Favorite Yonsei Cream Bread Revival Event,' also ranked high in sales.

In the first half of this year, the product will also embark on its first overseas export. It is scheduled to be sold in Mongolia and Malaysia, where CU has already entered, as well as in Taiwan. This is the first attempt for a domestic convenience store dessert product, and there are plans to expand the export countries further.

Joonhyung Cho, Head of the Snack Food Team at BGF Retail, said, "Yonsei Milk Cream Bread, a dessert specialty convenience store brand CU product, has become a representative item influencing not only the convenience store industry but also the confectionery and bakery industries." He added, "Recently, we have been receiving numerous requests for entry from overseas, so it is expected to become a product of K-convenience stores loved not only domestically but also on the global stage."

Meanwhile, to celebrate the milestone of 50 million units sold, CU will start pre-selling the discontinued Red Bean Fresh Cream Bread on Pocket CU from the 11th of this month. It will be available at offline stores starting from the 18th.