CU's Meal Replacement 'Hansonhanki' Protein Shake
Explosive Popularity Among Foreign Customers... Surpasses 800,000 Units Sold
Myeongdong Station Branch: Foreigners Account for 80% of Sales
Convenience store CU's protein shake series 'Hansonhanki' is gaining explosive popularity among foreign customers.
According to CU on the 20th, sales of the Hansonhanki series last month surged 22 times compared to the initial launch period. Hansonhanki is a protein shake introduced by CU in June last year.
The Hansonhanki series features protein shakes in pouch form, making them convenient to carry and consume. Through famous overseas influencers, it has gained a reputation as a healthy meal replacement from Korea, actively shared among tourists as one of the 'must-buy items at K-convenience stores.' Especially recently, with the global health pleasure trend sweeping worldwide, demand for related products is increasing.
At the Myeongdong Station branch, which is frequented by many foreign tourists, foreigners account for 80% of the sales of the Hansonhanki series. Hansonhanki is the only product at the Myeongdong Station branch where foreign sales surpass those of domestic customers. It is easy to find foreign customers purchasing Hansonhanki in bulk by the box at the Myeongdong Station branch, and the average purchase quantity per person for this product is 6.8 units, more than three times higher than general products. A CU official explained, "It is unusual in the industry to see explosive demand from foreigners rather than domestic customers," adding, "Especially amid the prolonged domestic economic slump, the emergence of a hit product among foreigners is acting as a significant sales driver."
Analyzing tax refund sales to foreign customers from January this year to the 18th, CU found that all five types of the Hansonhanki series (Choco, Matcha, Grain, Sweet Potato, Pistachio) were included in the top 10 best-selling products. In particular, Hansonhanki Choco recorded sales 3.5 times higher than the Dubai Kadaif Chocolate, which was the most purchased product by foreign customers last year, securing an overwhelming first place.
The Hansonhanki series surpassed 800,000 units in cumulative sales within seven months of launch, setting the record for the fastest and largest sales volume in the meal replacement category. Accordingly, the sales proportion of meal replacements within CU also surged. The sales share of Hansonhanki, which was 5.3% in the first month of launch, increased more than tenfold to 54.6% this month (March 1?18).
Riding on this popularity, CU plans to launch 'Hansonhanki Sweet Corn' on the 26th. The Sweet Corn product has a corn cereal flavor to be eaten with milk and contains 14.7g of protein per pouch. Park Hyung-gyu, product planner (MD) of BGF Retail's processed food team, said, "The Hansonhanki series is gaining great popularity as a must-have K-convenience store item in Asian regions such as Taiwan, China, and Singapore," adding, "CU plans to continuously discover differentiated products that can succeed in overseas markets."
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