"Catch Soccer Fans" Convenience Store Chains Target Asian Cup... 'Chimaek' Special Discounts (Comprehensive)

Domestic and Imported Beers Discounted Before and After Match Day
Whole Chicken Priced at 6,900, 7,900, and 9,000 Won
Soccer Fans Targeted with 'European Soccer Live Viewing' Travel Ticket Event

The domestic convenience store industry is targeting soccer fans ahead of the Asian Cup opening on the 12th. They are holding discount events on high-demand items during sports tournaments, such as chicken and alcoholic beverages.

According to the industry on the 10th, the four major domestic convenience stores?CU, GS25, 7-Eleven, and Emart24?are simultaneously launching discount events this month to mark the opening of the Asian soccer tournament. Discounted items include alcoholic beverages like beer, ready-to-eat chicken, and snacks.

Convenience store CU, operated by BGF Retail, announced on the 10th that it will hold a discount event for customers this month to celebrate the opening of the Asian Football Championship. A customer is selecting beer at CU. [Photo by BGF Retail]

CU, operated by BGF Retail, will hold discount events from the 15th, the day of the Korean national team's first match, until the end of the month. 7-Eleven will start discounts from the opening day of the Asian Cup on the 12th. GS25 and Emart24 will also offer discounts around the Korean national soccer team's match days (15th, 20th, 25th).

All four stores highlight alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine as their main discounted items. CU offers seven types of imported canned beers?Heineken, Budweiser, Guinness, Stella, Hoegaarden, etc.?in 500ml six-packs for 15,000 won. 7-Eleven also discounts popular imported beer bundle products like Stella Artois, Heineken, and Asahi by up to 30%, and on the Korean national soccer team's match days, domestic beer four-pack (500ml) bundles are discounted by more than 25%.

GS25 sells Cass Q-pack 2L and eight types of imported beer bundles at a discount on the day before and the day of Korean matches, and offers Hoegaarden and Budweiser four-packs for 7,900 won when ordered via app pickup. Emart24 sells four 500ml canned beers for 9,800 won on Korean match days and on the 31st, when the round of 16 matches take place.

Ready-to-eat chicken and snacks are also key discounted items. CU sells a Giant boneless chicken at 6,900 won, discounted by 2,000 won on match days. Fried chicken boxes are also offered at a discounted price of 8,500 won. Some snack items, such as half-smoked chicken and small-sized Kkuiman Jumbo, are available in special sales and buy-one-get-one-free (1+1) promotions. Emart24 also offers 24 types of snacks including Alaska fish snacks, sausages, garlic-flavored grilled pork intestines, and stir-fried sundae and intestines in 1+1 discount sales.

7-Eleven sells a whole fried chicken at 9,000 won, a 30% discount, on Korean match days. GS25, operated by GS Retail, offers two types of boneless chicken called Thornsall Chicken for 7,900 won when ordered for delivery or pickup, presenting cooked chicken products at discounts of up to 34%.

The convenience store industry's discount events ahead of the Asian Cup are due to the sales growth effect observed before and after international sports events. CU's analysis of hourly sales trends on major match days during last year's Asian Games showed that sales surged by up to 45% compared to the previous month in the hour before the game started.

The items with increased sales during sports events were also alcoholic beverages, snacks, and side dishes. During CU's Asian Games period, alcohol sales increased by 35.0% compared to the previous month, followed by ▲side dishes 32.7% ▲snacks 24.9% ▲beverages 19.7%. At 7-Eleven, on the day of the 2022 Qatar World Cup match against Ghana, sales of non-alcoholic beer and beer increased by 200% and 150%, respectively, compared to the same weekday before the tournament. Sales also increased in the order of ▲squid products 100% ▲chicken 80% ▲snacks 70% ▲carbonated drinks 50%. GS25 explained that during major sports events, sales of beer and chicken, including side dishes, increase by up to 2.7 times and 2.3 times, respectively, compared to the previous day.

A GS25 customer is looking at beer.
[Image provided by GS Retail]

Some stores are also holding events targeting soccer fans in conjunction with the soccer tournament. GS25 will hold a prize event on its app 'Uri Dongnae GS' from the 15th until the end of the Korean soccer schedule. Customers who purchase over 5,000 won using GS Pay, their own simple payment service, will receive one stamp, and collecting three stamps allows entry into the prize event. Prizes include a 5-night, 7-day European soccer viewing trip (1 person), soccer uniforms (14 people), official balls, and duffel bags (10 people).

Jinyoungho, head of BGF Retail's product division, said, "We have prepared various events to support the success of our players and to heat up the public's cheering spirit. CU will fulfill its role as the closest national cheering platform through various events that help smart shopping."

Nam Geonwoo, MD in charge of beverages and alcoholic drinks at 7-Eleven, said, "With world-class players aiming for the first championship in 64 years and Korean matches mainly broadcast on weekend evenings, high demand for chicken and beer is expected. 7-Eleven planned this event to join the national cheering campaign and wishes for the great performance of our national team."

Meanwhile, the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup, featuring Asian countries, opens on the 12th. The Korean national soccer team, challenging for the Asian Cup title for the first time in 64 years, will play its first match against Bahrain on the 15th.

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