Even with the national team's poor performance... Convenience stores enjoy a special boost from the Asian Cup

Convenience Store Big 4 Alcohol and Snacks Sales Rise Together
Group Stage Below Expectations but Unrelated to Sales

The convenience store industry is reaping significant benefits from the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup special effect. Although the South Korean national football team, led by J?rgen Klinsmann, drew criticism for their poor performance in the group stage, the industry has seen a sharp increase in sales of related marketing products regardless of the team's results.

According to the industry on the 30th, Emart24 saw beer sales increase by 50% compared to the previous Thursday on the 25th, when the national team played their third group stage match against Malaysia. During the same period, highball sales rose by 38%, and whiskey sales increased by 23%. Sales of dried snacks and frozen convenience foods, which are often purchased alongside alcoholic beverages, also grew by 20% and 25%, respectively.

Seven Eleven also experienced a 50% increase in domestic beer sales compared to the previous Thursday on the same day. Sales of snacks such as squid and ready-to-eat chicken rose by 20% each. During the same period, CU convenience stores reported sales increases of 35.3% for beer, 60.5% for wine, 13.5% for whiskey, 22.2% for snacks, and 25.1% for other snack items.

GS25 convenience stores saw sales of Thonsal Chicken soar by an astonishing 3.6 times compared to the previous week. Beer sales also rose by 64%, reaffirming the popular saying "Football is best enjoyed with chicken and beer." In addition, GS25 reported increases in sales of snacks by 46.1%, snack foods by 27.7%, and frozen snacks by 60.7%, all of which are popular foods to enjoy while watching football matches.

Earlier, the national team struggled to a 2-2 draw against Jordan, considered a weaker opponent, in the second group stage match on the 20th. Despite the criticism over the disappointing performance, the last group stage match against Malaysia saw the convenience store industry fully capitalize on the Asian Cup special effect.

The convenience store industry launched related marketing competitions in line with the Asian Cup opening on January 12. CU is offering discounts on about 40 products, focusing on alcoholic beverages, snacks, and other related items until the round of 16 match against Saudi Arabia on the 31st. Seven Eleven and Emart24 are selling popular beer bundle products (4 to 6 packs) at discounts of over 25%. GS25 is conducting a prize event worth approximately 20 million won through the "Our Neighborhood GS App," along with discounts on beer and other alcoholic beverages.

The national team will face Saudi Arabia at 1 a.m. on the 31st at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, competing for a spot in the quarterfinals. Unlike previous group stage matches that started at 8:30 p.m., the round of 16 match against Saudi Arabia will be held in the early morning hours. However, the industry does not expect this to affect sales of related products. A representative from the convenience store industry said, "Looking at sales rates during the group stage, there was a significant increase during after-work hours. Since the Saudi Arabia match is a knockout single-elimination game, interest is expected to be high, so the early morning timing is not anticipated to impact sales."

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