Convenience Store 'Ice Cup' Sales Surge Amid Scorching Heat

Tourism Sites, Downtown Streets, and Industrial Complexes Show Highest Growth Rates
Large Ice Cups Popular... Ice Cream Also in High Demand

As the scorching heatwave intensifies, sales of ice cups at major convenience stores (CU, GS25, 7-Eleven) have surged. In particular, demand has increased among weekend outing visitors and weekday office workers, leading to significant sales growth rates at stores near tourist attractions and industrial complexes.

GS25's 'Ice The Big Cup' [Photo by GS Retail]

According to the industry on the 5th, during the past week when heatwave warnings were issued in most regions nationwide (July 26 to August 2), 7-Eleven's ice cup sales doubled compared to the previous week (July 12 to July 19). During the same period, GS25 sales rose by 90.1%, and CU sales increased by 43.2%.

With the recent deadly heat continuing, the industry reports that demand for ice cups has greatly increased, especially among outing visitors and office workers enjoying outdoor activities. Last week, the daytime high temperature in Gangneung, Gangwon-do, rose to 39 degrees Celsius, and a heatwave warning was in effect in Seoul for a week, as the nationwide sweltering heat persisted. Ice cups are considered a representative 'cash cow product' for convenience stores in summer, as they allow customers to enjoy not only bottled water but also various beverages chilled. According to GS25, the sales growth rate of ice cups by region was highest around tourist spots (176.3%), followed by downtown streets (114.3%) and industrial complexes (108.6%).

Along with the trend of preferring large-capacity beverages and an increasing number of consumers seeking cost-effectiveness, more people are looking for ice cups about twice the size of the existing ones. CU's industry-first launched 'Venti Size Ice Cup (400g)' saw sales increase by 62.1% in the recent week compared to the previous week. The sales proportion of Venti ice cups has steadily increased from 54% in its launch year 2021 to 58.9% in 2022 and 67.4% in 2023.

An industry official said, "Ice cups are among the products with the largest sales increase as the weather gets hotter," adding, "Summer season products such as ice cups, beer, iced coffee, and sunscreen are selling like hotcakes, especially around tourist spots like the Han River and amusement parks."

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