"Ice Cream with Low Sugar is the Trend"... GS25 Sees 50% Surge in Sales

The 'Healthy Pleasure' Trend Expands to Ice Cream
Popularity of Zero-Sugar, Low-Calorie, and Other Low Spec Foods on the Rise

The 'Healthy Pleasure' trend is expanding to ice cream, leading to a surge in sales of low-sugar ice cream.

According to GS25, a convenience store operated by GS Retail, sales of low-sugar ice cream at GS25 this month increased by 50.8% compared to the same period last year. During the same period, the proportion of low-sugar ice cream sales within total ice cream sales surpassed double digits (19.1%) for the first time.

The model is posing while holding two types of Labnosh low-sugar protein bars at GS25. (Photo by GS Retail)

The Healthy Pleasure trend, which promotes enjoying health management, is extending to ice cream, benefiting the low-sugar lineup. Low-sugar ice cream products operated by GS25 include over 20 items such as ▲Lapnosh low-sugar protein bars (2 types) ▲Lapnosh low-sugar pints (2 types) ▲Lala Sweet low-sugar series ▲World Cone vanilla low-sugar, among others.

According to GS25, interest in low-calorie, low-sugar, and low-fat foods that maintain taste, known as Low Spec Food, continues to grow among people in their teens to thirties, driving sales growth of related products. The sales growth rates of this product category over the past three years reached 126.3% in 2023, 88.1% last year, and 80.4% this year compared to the same period the previous year.

Meanwhile, ahead of the upcoming summer, GS25 plans to sequentially launch various 'low-sugar' and 'high-protein' products such as snacks, chocolates, bread, and jelly in collaboration with Lapnosh.

Lee Juyong, MD of the Beverage and Food Team at GS Retail, said, "As interest in low-sugar ice cream grows amid the Healthy Pleasure trend, we are expanding the low-sugar ice cream lineup in collaboration with various brands including Lapnosh. We will continue to strengthen differentiated product competitiveness that aligns with consumer trends."