[Product Spotlight] Foreigners Wide-Eyed... Meeting Smoothie King at Emart24

Smoothie King Store Inside Myeongdong Emart24
Simplified Menu for Convenience Store Exclusive Model
'Familiar Taste' Similar to Existing Specialty Stores
Continuous Inquiries from New Franchise Owners

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] "Wait, do convenience stores in Korea really sell Smoothie King?"

Jiwoon Kim (a pseudonym), a part-time worker in her 20s who works weekday afternoons at Emart24 Myeongdong Center store, often receives questions from foreign customers that mix surprise and curiosity several times a day. The fun point is encountering the famous American smoothie brand Smoothie King inside a Korean convenience store. It is a so-called 'Emart24-style Smoothie King' in a shop-in-shop format.

On the afternoon of the 27th, while covering the Myeongdong area in Seoul, I stopped by the Emart24 Myeongdong Center store. By chance, this store was one of the Smoothie King shop-in-shop locations that Emart24 convenience stores began piloting in September last year. The store in the central Myeongdong area, which has seen a sharp decline in foreign tourists since the COVID-19 pandemic, was somewhat quiet.

The core smoothie menu was simplified to focus on popular items tailored to the convenience store model. There were about nine smoothie options. Regular drinks like chocolate latte were also available. Having just eaten greasy Chinese food for lunch, I ordered the 'Slim & Slim Strawberry' small size, which was under 200 calories (kcal). The drink was mainly made with strawberries and bananas and was described as containing vanilla protein.

How does the convenience store-style smoothie taste? It was a familiar taste. Familiarity means safety. Since the menu was made by convenience store staff rather than a specialty store, I expected some difference in taste. My prejudice was pleasantly broken. Jiwoon, the staff member, said, "The manufacturing manual is clearly standardized and because it’s a smoothie, it’s not very difficult. I used to work at a cafe before, and making this is much easier," dispelling concerns.

Even at the same size, smoothies have a higher density compared to regular coffee drinks, so they provide a greater feeling of fullness. My palate, tired of overly sweet or bitter coffee, was refreshed by the unique freshness of fruit. The light calories also reduced diet concerns. In fact, word has spread among nearby office workers, and regular customers are gradually increasing.

Emart24 is also pleased with the positive responses from store owners regarding the new model. Inquiries from new franchisees about the Smoothie King shop-in-shop stores continue. Currently, there are 39 shop-in-shop stores nationwide. Seoul has the most with 22 locations, followed by Gyeonggi with 6, Daegu 5, Gwangju 2, Busan 2, Daejeon 1, Incheon 1, Jeonbuk 1, and Chungnam 1.

If you expected a wide variety of flavors as before, you might be somewhat disappointed, but as a former Smoothie King customer, I was much more satisfied. Compared to the rapidly increasing number of coffee specialty stores, Smoothie King seemed relatively less visible. Utilizing the nationwide distribution network unique to convenience stores could be positive in terms of diversifying customer choices. However, since shop-in-shop store employees have a higher labor intensity, additional compensation should be provided.

◆ You must try it

#If you are looking for a healthy smoothie

◆ One-line impression

#First time tasting a fresh smoothie at a convenience store

◆ Price

#Slim & Slim Strawberry Small Size (354ml) 4,900 won

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.