Hotter Weather... CU "Dental Mask Purchases Increase by 250% Compared to Previous Month"

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] Demand for dental masks at convenience stores surged amid early summer weather reaching 30 degrees Celsius.

On the 8th, CU, a convenience store operated by BGF Retail, analyzed sales trends by mask category from June 1 to 7. Sales of disposable dental masks increased sharply by 250.6% compared to the previous month. During the same period, the growth rate of KF masks, which are health masks, was only 45.8%.

With the first heatwave advisory of the year issued last week and the start of full summer weather, domestic demand appears to be shifting to dental masks, which are relatively lighter, more breathable, and cheaper.

Accordingly, the sales share of dental masks among all masks also rose. In March, when the spread of COVID-19 was high, KF masks accounted for 90% of sales and dental masks 10%, but in June, this changed to 73% for KF masks and 27% for dental masks.

As demand for dental masks increased, stock replenishment also became difficult. Besides the temperature effect, demand is believed to have increased at convenience stores near subway stations since the end of last month, when public transportation use was restricted without wearing masks.

In response, CU plans to expand its dental mask product lineup this month to meet customer needs. Along with the currently sold One Day Mask (7 pieces · 4,900 won), they plan to launch black dental masks (7 pieces), children's dental masks (7 pieces), and large-capacity dental masks.

Oh Soo-jung, product planner (MD) of BGF Retail's daily necessities team, said, “Due to recent temperature rises and institutional changes, consumers' mask purchasing patterns are showing different trends than before. Although mask supply at convenience stores is still unstable, we will continue systematic responses such as product assortment changes through detailed analysis of related consumption trends.”

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