Convenience Store Side Dish Sales Increase... Seven Eleven Launches 'Easy Grilled Fish'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the phenomenon of purchasing daily necessities at convenience stores has become prominent.

Convenience store Seven Eleven announced on the 14th that sales of side dishes increased by 28.9% last year compared to the same period the previous year. By product, sales of kimchi increased by 16.3%, fish cake by 15.4%, and side dishes such as jangjorim and anchovies each rose by 23.2%. Along with these, processed rice products such as Hetbahn and cup rice also increased by 6.2%.

This popularity was mainly seen in residential commercial districts. Last year, Seven Eleven's side dish sales accounted for the highest proportion of 47.8% in single-person household commercial areas with a high proportion of 1-2 person households, followed by family commercial areas with many 3-4 person households at 20.1%.

In particular, sales growth in the seafood ready-to-eat meal sector stood out. Seven Eleven's seafood ready-to-eat meal sales over the past three years have recorded double-digit high growth rates annually, increasing by 18.8% in 2019, 25.1% last year, and a remarkable 37.2% this month. According to the food industry, the domestic seafood ready-to-eat meal market has shown an average annual growth rate in the 30% range over the past four years and is expected to reach approximately 45 billion won last year.

In response, Seven Eleven launched two types of convenient grilled fish products, ‘Sutbul Godeungeo Gui’ (charcoal-grilled mackerel) and ‘Sutbul Samchi Gui’ (charcoal-grilled Spanish mackerel). The price is 3,900 won. These products are characterized by being ready to eat without the need to remove bones. To achieve the moist and chewy texture of the fish meat, the fish undergoes a semi-drying process by sun-drying and is then grilled in a high-temperature charcoal oven. The Samchi Gui comes with a soy sauce wasabi dipping sauce so customers can enjoy it according to their preference.

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