Convenience Store Featuring Son Heung-min Front and Center... Aiming for World Cup Boom

CU Appoints Son Heung-min as Brand Model
GS25 Signs Licensing Deal with Tottenham Hotspur
Alcohol and Snack Sales Increase During Russia World Cup

CU has selected Son Heung-min as their brand model. (Photo by BGF Retail)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Convenience store chains are aiming for a World Cup boom by featuring player Son Heung-min. They are ramping up soccer marketing by selecting Son Heung-min as an advertising model and signing an official licensing agreement with Tottenham Hotspur.

On the 10th, CU signed a brand advertising model contract with Son Heung-min. Son Heung-min's modeling fee is known to be over 1 billion KRW per year, and CU reportedly secured the contract for about 1.5 billion KRW. CU will also launch more than 20 products targeting the World Cup season, including World Class Ball Rice Balls, Victory Platters, and Giant Dakgangjeong (sweet crispy fried chicken).

GS25 introduced Tottenham Shinbal Twigim (Tottenham Shoe-shaped Fried Snack), a collaborative product with Tottenham Hotspur, starting from the 31st of last month. This is the first product under the official licensing agreement, which was the first in the industry signed in August. The product is made by shaping fried chicken breast into the form of a soccer shoe, and the packaging is designed like a sneaker box to increase interest. It currently ranks first in total chicken product sales, with sales exceeding the second-place product by more than 30%, showing explosive response. GS25 plans to release additional Tottenham Hotspur official licensed products this month, including mixed nuts, fish and chips triangle kimbap, chicken breast, and milk.

Tottenham Shoe Chicken sold at GS25. (Photo by GS Retail)

Convenience stores have enjoyed a special demand surge during every World Cup. On days when the South Korean national team plays in the finals, sales of alcoholic beverages and snacks have significantly increased. On the day of the first match against Sweden in the 2018 Russia World Cup, CU saw beer sales increase by 111.6%, soju by 29.9%, wine by 17.7%, whiskey by 14.3%, and Makgeolli by 11.3% compared to the previous week. Sales of chicken and snack foods also rose by 32.9% and 60.1%, respectively. At GS25, on days when the national team played, beer sales surged by 129.5%, soju by 26%, chicken by 152.5%, and snacks by 51.9%.

During the recent two national team evaluation matches, convenience store sales also increased significantly compared to the previous week. At GS25, on September 23 and 27 (against Costa Rica and Cameroon), beer sales rose by 35%, soju by 13.7%, chicken by 40.2%, and snacks by 34.6%. At CU, during the Costa Rica match, beer sales increased by 11.8%, soju by 17.4%, chicken by 64%, and snacks by 21.2%. At 7-Eleven, during the Cameroon match, sales of beer (25%) and chicken (20%) increased, and at Emart24, sales of beer (12%) and snacks (36%) rose.

A convenience store industry official said, "Many people purchase alcoholic beverages and snacks at convenience stores to enjoy while watching soccer matches," adding, "We will cheer together for the South Korean soccer team to achieve successful results in this World Cup."

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