Healthy Pleasure and Slow Aging Trends Drive Sales Surge
GS25 Sees Protein Bread Sales Soar 6.4 Times
CU Health Supplement Sales Jump 3.5 Times, Up 254.6%
Wave of New Product Launches and Specialty Store Openings
The "healthy pleasure" trend, which emphasizes enjoying health-conscious living, is sweeping the consumer market and driving a surge in related sales at convenience stores. "Healthy pleasure" is a portmanteau of "healthy" and "pleasure," referring to the pursuit of enjoyable and sustainable health management. Sales of products utilizing protein, an essential nutrient in fitness diets, as well as health supplements, are rising sharply.
According to GS Retail on May 20, sales of "protein bread" at its convenience store chain GS25 last month were 6.4 times higher than in August of the previous year. GS25 began selling protein bread in earnest starting in September last year. Notably, customers in their 20s and 30s accounted for 69.5% of protein bread sales, leading the popularity of these products.
The model is looking at Labnos Protein Financier Plain and Labnos Protein Donut Choco, which are released at the convenience store GS25. Provided by GS Retail.
A GS25 representative explained, "Recently, the trend of replacing meals with bread has become established, increasing the popularity of protein bread as a meal substitute," adding, "The domain of protein foods, which was previously dominated by drinks and bars, has now expanded to include bread."
According to GS25, sales of protein snacks such as protein bars, drinks, and chips are also steadily increasing. Over the past three years, the sales growth rate of these products was 45.8% in 2023, 45.5% last year, and rose to 52.1% from January to May 19 of this year.
GS25 plans to exclusively launch four types of "protein bread" in collaboration with the protein food brand Labnos. The products were developed in partnership with a specialized brand to reflect the preferences of "Health Digging" consumers, who are sensitive to product ingredients. On May 22, GS25 will release two types of Labnos Protein Donuts (Plain, Choco), followed by two types of Labnos Financier (Plain, Mocha Choco) on May 29.
CU sees 3.5-fold increase in health supplement sales
At CU, the convenience store chain operated by BGF Retail, sales of health supplements surged by 3.5 times. In particular, since the beginning of this month, sales of Yuhan Corporation’s Becomple Magnesium (25ml) grew by 322.3% year-on-year, and sales of Chong Kun Dang’s Multi Vita Booster (20ml) increased by 307.1%. This is attributed to both the increased demand for gifts during May, which includes Parents’ Day, Children’s Day, and Teachers’ Day, and the recent rise in consumer interest in health.
According to CU, between May 1 and 18, health supplement sales grew by 254.6% compared to the previous month. This is a remarkable increase compared to the 35.8% growth rate a year ago. The growth rate is also much higher than that of other popular May items such as gift certificates (41.4%), toys (43.4%), and party and entertainment goods (142.8%).
The model is looking at health supplements sold at the convenience store CU. Provided by BGF Retail.
This year, health supplement sales at CU have risen by 98.5% compared to the previous year, making them a star product category for convenience store sales.
In response, CU designated 3,000 stores nationwide as health supplement specialty stores in October last year, introducing over 40 products and specialized display stands. This year, an additional 2,000 stores have been selected.
Currently, CU is proactively introducing health functional foods at its Myeongdong Station branch to monitor market response. Sales of related products at this location have increased by 97.8% compared to the early days of operation last year. Accordingly, CU is preparing to launch convenience store-exclusive health functional food products in partnership with several pharmaceutical companies.
Park Hyungkyu, processed food team MD at BGF Retail, stated, "The discount promotions prepared for Family Month have matched the needs of health-digging consumers seeking value, resulting in the health supplement category achieving the highest sales growth rate this month."
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