In the Cold Weather... CU's Roasted Sweet Potato Sales Soar

Roasted Sweet Potato Sales Increase by 29.6% Over the Past 5 Weeks

A customer is purchasing roasted sweet potatoes at the convenience store CU. (Photo by BGF Retail)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chunhan] As the weather has recently become noticeably colder, roasted sweet potatoes, a representative winter snack, are gaining great popularity at convenience stores.

According to CU on the 14th, sales of roasted sweet potatoes from the 3rd of last month to the 6th of this month increased by 29.6% compared to the same period last year. By location, sales increased by 21.1% and 37.8% respectively at stores located in office areas crowded with workers and near subway stations, followed by residential areas (17.6%) and single-person households (13.3%). CU started operating roasted sweet potatoes at about 300 stores in 2017, expanding to about 1,500 stores in 2018, 4,000 stores in 2020, and 5,000 stores in 2022.

Roasted sweet potatoes sold better as the weather got colder. Sales showed a gradual upward curve until early October, then recorded double-digit weekly growth rates of 16.8%, 17.5%, and 18.3% until mid-October when a cold wave warning was issued. In late October, sales sharply increased with growth rates of 20-30%. From the 24th to the 30th, despite a slight rise in the average minimum temperature, sales continued to rise, and in the first week of November, when winter began, sales of roasted sweet potatoes rose by 34.6% compared to the previous week.

A BGF Retail official said, “Following October, when more people sought roasted sweet potatoes due to the early cold, November is the period when the sweetness of matured sweet potatoes is maximized, sustaining the popularity of roasted sweet potatoes,” adding, “We will also introduce events featuring bundled purchase items so that customers buying roasted sweet potatoes can enjoy them even more deliciously.”

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