Winter Snacks and Cold Weather Essentials in High Demand
Industry Launches Full-Scale Winter Marketing Campaigns
An early cold snap has swept across the nation, causing a surge in convenience store sales. Sales of classic winter snacks such as roasted sweet potatoes, steamed buns, and fish cakes have skyrocketed, while demand for winter essentials like heat packs, leggings, and stockings has also soared. The industry is responding by launching winter food products earlier than usual and kicking off full-scale winter marketing campaigns.
GS25: Roasted Sweet Potatoes Up 176%, Heat Packs Up 587%
On October 20, GS25 announced, "Due to a sharp drop in temperatures, there has been a significant increase in customers seeking warm snacks such as steamed buns, roasted sweet potatoes, instant fish cakes, and products related to keeping warm." Compared to a week ago, sales of roasted sweet potatoes and instant fish cakes jumped by 175.6% and 111.2%, respectively.
Among beverages, honey drinks, herbal drinks, and hot Americanos saw sales growth rates of 68.1%, 54.5%, and 20.6%, respectively. The proportion of hot Americano sales at Cafe25, GS25's own coffee brand, rose from 46% on October 12 to 62% the previous day. Among winter essentials, heat packs recorded a sales growth rate of 587.3%.
Lee Jeongsoo, MD of the Counter FF Team at GS Retail, said, "Due to the sharp drop in temperatures, there has been a significant increase in customers seeking warm snacks such as steamed buns, roasted sweet potatoes, instant fish cakes, and products related to keeping warm," adding, "We will continue to enhance customer satisfaction through well-planned promotions and an expanded range of winter products tailored to the cold season."
CU, Seven Eleven, and Emart24 Also Experience 'Cold Wave Boost'
During the same period, sales at CU of roasted sweet potatoes, instant fish cakes, and hot Americanos increased by 154.7%, 58.8%, and 26.9%, respectively. In addition, sales of heat packs soared by 661.0%, and stockings by 80.7%.
CU also plans to launch a highly cost-effective lightweight padded jacket priced at 20,900 won. Made entirely of cotton, it is allergy-friendly and machine washable. Additionally, CU has prepared three types of 'fur aviator hats' in collaboration with Sanrio characters, a first in the convenience store industry. These cute children's winter fashion hats, featuring Hello Kitty, My Melody, and Cinnamoroll, combine practicality with fun.
Lotte Group's convenience store Seven Eleven also reported a sharp increase in sales of winter foods and winter essentials compared to a week ago. Cocoa sales surged by 250%, while roasted sweet potatoes and fish cakes rose by 70% and 60%, respectively.
Seven Eleven has also started selling six types of 'Seven Select Cashmere Round Knit' sweaters for the winter season. In preparation for the cold weather, the company is rolling out a range of winter essentials, including fleece-lined tights, neck warmers, knit socks, winter masks, gloves, and earmuffs.
Emart24 also saw sales of instant coffee (Epressso·HOT) increase by 34% over the past week. Heat pack sales soared by 600%, and sales of fashion items such as stockings and mufflers rose by 77%.
Meanwhile, the morning of October 21 was the coldest so far this autumn. At 5:44 a.m., the temperature in Seoul dropped to 4.8 degrees Celsius, and the perceived temperature fell to 3.5 degrees at 6:30 a.m. This was the lowest temperature recorded so far this fall. The wind was also slightly stronger, making it feel even colder than the actual temperature. The cold snap, caused by continental high pressure expanding from northern China and bringing in chilly northwesterly winds, is expected to continue through October 22.
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