It is now the era of 'Kim Hyeja Dosirak'... "Surpassed Cass and Chamisul"

Ranked 2nd and 3rd in Total Sales
Cumulative Sales Surpass 3 Million Units
Leading the Second Lunchbox Boom

This year, the Kim Hyeja lunchbox, re-released after six years, has secured a top sales position, surpassing traditional strong contenders such as Cass, Chamisul, and banana milk. Amid ongoing high inflation, the Hyejaroun Home-cooked Meal series is being credited with leading a second golden age of convenience store lunchboxes.

Actress Kim Hye-ja is tasting a lunchbox at the GS25 exclusive factory Fresh First.
[Photo by GS Retail]

According to GS25 on the 9th, an analysis of popular product rankings based on last month's sales showed that Hyejaroun Home-cooked Meal Spicy Pork Stir-fry and Hyejaroun Home-cooked Meal Squid Bulgogi ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively. Last year, no lunchbox products were within the top 10, but this year, the Kim Hyeja lunchbox craze has reversed the sales rankings. Previously, from September 2010 to the first half of 2017, the Kim Hyeja lunchbox gained great popularity on social networking services (SNS), coining new terms like ‘Hyejaropda’ (meaning generous or abundant). Over seven years of sales, the Kim Hyeja lunchbox was released in over 40 varieties, with cumulative sales reaching approximately 1 trillion KRW. In 2016, the most popular product, Hyeja Crispy Bulgogi Lunchbox, achieved a highest ranking of 3rd place.

Currently, as of the 5th, the Kim Hyeja lunchbox has surpassed 3 million units sold in just 50 days. In fact, the quantity delivered to each store is selling out completely. As a result, from February 15 to April 5 this year, GS25’s lunchbox sales grew by 66.9% compared to the same period last year. The store with the highest sales of the Kim Hyeja lunchbox has sold a total of 2,537 units so far, and the lunchbox sales at that store surged by 1,669% year-over-year. By location, sales at office area stores increased by 90.7%, followed by tourist spots at 85%, and academy districts at 78.4%.

Since February last year, GS25 has been conducting the Hyejaroun Home-cooked Meal project to launch high-quality lunchboxes, undergoing a one-year preparation process for product release. A significant factor leading to Kim Hyeja’s final decision was GS Retail’s long-standing deep interest in supporting child meal cards. Kim Hyeja personally visited the manufacturing factory and actively participated in the lunchbox development process by providing additional feedback after product launch. GS25 is also leading the spread of sharing values by engaging in a relay donation campaign with the Kim Hyeja lunchbox.

The Hyejaroun Home-cooked Meal series plans to release 12 to 15 varieties within the year. Hyejaroun Home-cooked Meal Spicy Pork Stir-fry features rice mixed with black rice to emphasize the nutritious home-cooked meal feel, topped with a moist fried egg. Hyejaroun Home-cooked Meal Squid Bulgogi increased the main dishes to two and boosted the content weight by about 15% compared to regular lunchboxes. Hyejaroun Home-cooked Meal Neobiani Dakgangjeong includes the two most preferred main dishes along with side dishes such as ball fish cake stir-fry, seasoned spinach, and stir-fried kimchi.

Convenience stores are the distribution channel most sensitive to trends, where differentiated products directly impact brand competitiveness. GS25 launched hit products such as Wonsoju and Butter Beer last year, and this year’s core strategy also focuses on product planning and marketing innovation. On the 23rd of last month, GS Retail CEO Heo Yeonsu stated at the regular shareholders’ meeting, “This year, we will continue to develop hit products that receive much love from customers and realize a true super-gap compared to competitors.”

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