CU, 'Dubai Chocolate' Tops Foreign Sales in 2023
Surpasses Banana-Flavored Milk to Claim No.1 Spot
Popular Among Indonesian Tourists
Yonsei Cream Bread Also Ranks in Top 10
CU, a convenience store operated by BGF Retail, announced on the 9th that an analysis of last year's tax refund sales data revealed that the most purchased product by foreign tourists was Dubai Chocolate.
According to CU, Dubai Chocolate ranked first in sales among the top 10 products purchased by foreign tourists using tax refunds last year. Dubai Chocolate surpassed Banana-flavored Milk, which had consistently held the number one spot in foreign sales. The largest group of buyers of this product were Indonesians, accounting for 49% of total sales.
Dubai Chocolate, which gained popularity through overseas influencers, was introduced to Korea by CU in July last year, the first in the industry. It also gained popularity domestically, with approximately 20 billion KRW worth of sales in just one year.
Additionally, five out of the top 10 products purchased by foreign tourists were differentiated products sold exclusively at CU. The Yonsei Cream Bread series (Chocolate and Milk), exported to CU stores in Mongolia with about 200,000 units sold, saw Vietnamese tourists accounting for 55.2% of total sales, ranking 5th and 7th respectively. The Neighbor’s Hwang Cheese Krungji accounted for 66% of total foreign sales by Thai tourists.
The chestnut tiramisu cup, a representative product that gained attention after appearing on a cooking competition program, ranked 10th in sales just three months after its launch. This product was chosen by foreign tourists of the most diverse nationalities, with Taiwanese customers accounting for the highest sales proportion at 24.9%.
Meanwhile, Tax Refund is a value-added tax immediate refund service provided to foreign tourists, available to any foreigner who purchases taxable goods worth more than 15,000 KRW. CU first introduced the tax refund service in 2022, and recorded a total of about 15,000 uses last year, which is approximately 16 times more than in 2023.
Shin Sang-yong, head of the Service Platform Team at BGF Retail, said, "As K-convenience stores are gaining global attention and the number of foreign visitors continues to increase, CU is proactively preparing and providing foreigner convenience services such as tax refunds." He added, "CU will continue to significantly expand various products and services to satisfy foreign customers."
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