"Snack Bag 990 Won"... CU Strengthens Lineup of Products with Price Reversal

880 Won Ramen, 1000 Won Corn Ice Cream
Offering Cost-Effective Foods to Help Smart Shopping

CU announced on the 8th that it has launched two ultra-low-priced snacks priced at 990 won and will continue to introduce highly cost-effective products. The intention is to ease consumers' food expenses in an era of high inflation.

The newly introduced products are the ‘990 Spicy Nacho Chips’ and ‘990 Cheddar Cheese Balls.’ The 990 snacks were designed not only as snacks but also as side dishes to enjoy with alcoholic beverages during the summer season, reflecting the high demand for such snack types among customers. The spicy seasoned nacho chips use rice flour to enhance crispiness, while the cheddar cheese balls are seasoned with cheese flavor to strengthen their salty and savory taste.

The 990 won snacks come in sizes up to 75g, with prices about 30% lower and weights about 20% higher than the manufacturer brand (NB) snacks sold at CU, maximizing cost-effectiveness. Thanks to CU’s long-standing relationships with small and medium manufacturers through producing its private brand (PB) HEYROO snacks, it was able to reduce its own margins and offer ultra-cost-effective products.

Since 2022, CU has been steadily introducing ultra-cost-effective products. The 400 won hard ‘400 Bar’ launched in the summer of 2022 saw sales double within a month, receiving a positive response, and last year, a 1000 won ice cream cone was also introduced. In January this year, to ease customers’ food expenses amid lunch inflation, CU reintroduced the spicy fish cake triangular kimbap priced at just 1000 won for the first time in five years. Following that, the ultra-low-priced 880 won cup ramen ‘880 Yukgaejang Ramen’ recorded cumulative sales of 400,000 units about two months after its launch.

Kim Jun-hwi, MD of BGF Retail’s Snack Food Team, said, “We prepared differentiated products that capture customers with both taste and price to match the season when snack demand increases,” adding, “CU will continue to closely analyze consumers’ daily consumption patterns and consistently release cost-effective food products that help with smart shopping.”