Q1 Sake Sales Increase 7x YoY
Following 'Mochiridofu', Tudari IP Product Launched
GS25 is set to significantly expand its range of easy-to-eat side dishes under the 'Home Izakaya' concept, targeting the demand for Japanese-style sake. Home Izakaya refers to enjoying an izakaya (Japanese-style pub) experience at home.
GS25, a convenience store operated by GS Retail, announced on the 9th that reflecting consumer trends of purchasing alcohol and side dishes together, it has selected Home Izakaya as the key keyword for easy-to-eat side dishes this year and will introduce various convenient dishes that pair well with sake.
The model is posing in front of the GS25 sake specialty zone holding a simple dish snack with a home izakaya concept. [Photo by GS Retail]
According to GS25, sake sales in the first quarter of this year increased about sevenfold compared to the same period last year, and the number of sake products handled expanded from around 20 types at the end of 2021 to about 120 types by the end of last year. This is explained as the result of increased travel demand to Japan and growing interest in Japanese cuisine, with sake rapidly emerging as a new alcoholic beverage trend.
GS25 is conducting the first pre-order sale of the premium dessert side dish 'Mochiridofu' through its own app 'Uri Dongnae GS' until the 12th. Mochiridofu is a side dish product combining milk pudding and mochi, and its shape resembles tofu, which translates to 'glutinous rice cake tofu' in Korean. GS25 is the first convenience store in the industry to launch a finished Mochiridofu product. The pre-order quantity is limited to 3,000 units, priced at 5,000 KRW.
Notably, this new product includes maple soy sauce and wasabi, developed directly by Seongbae Jo, a GS Retail food development team researcher and former hotel chef, delivering a taste comparable to specialty restaurants. GS25 plans to conduct additional pre-orders for the Mochiridofu product within the year.
Lee Minjae, manager of GS Retail's refrigerated/frozen team, said, "To capture the home drinking trend that has spread since the pandemic and meet the elevated customer tastes, we are making every effort to raise the taste quality of GS25's easy-to-eat side dishes to the level of specialty restaurants. Through developing unique menus like Mochiridofu, which could previously only be tasted at specialty restaurants, we aim to lead the home drinking trend and offer a broader gourmet experience."
Meanwhile, GS25 has partnered with the dining franchise Tudari to sequentially release two products: ▲Kimchi Fish Cake Udon and ▲Garlic Bomb Chicken Gizzard. The cumulative sales of these products over about two months have reached 100,000 units. Later this month, two more products are scheduled for release: ▲Tudari Soy Sauce Pork Skin & Konggomul and ▲Tudari Honeycomb Pork Skin & Konggomul.
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