"Sold More Than Coffee and Cola"... CU's Health Drink Sales Share Soars in Q1

Functional Health Drinks Surpass Coffee and Soda in Sales Share Over the Past 5 Years
Convenience Store Beverage Market Shifts Toward "Health"

As health management trends spread, sales of functional health drinks have surpassed those of coffee and carbonated beverages.

CU plans to actively expand its lineup of functional beverages in collaboration with specialized pharmaceutical companies. Provided by CU.

According to CU, a convenience store operated by BGF Retail, the sales share of functional health drinks in the first quarter of this year expanded to 22.5%. This figure is higher than the sales shares of coffee (18.8%), carbonated drinks (15.7%), and milk (14.7%). The sales share of health drinks has been increasing annually, from 16.9% in 2021 to 18.0% in 2022, and 18.8% in 2023.

The sales growth rate is also high. At CU, the year-on-year sales growth rate of functional health drinks was 52.2% in 2022, 27.3% in 2023, 22.1% in 2024, and 17.2% in the first quarter of 2025, maintaining a double-digit growth trend.

The reason functional health drinks are strong in convenience stores is that consumers’ interest in health has recently increased significantly. Instead of coffee or carbonated drinks containing sugar and caffeine, many are choosing red ginseng drinks, vitamins, protein drinks, and sports ion drinks that can be consumed while exercising.

In line with this trend, CU is actively expanding its lineup of functional beverages in collaboration with specialized pharmaceutical companies. This month, it plans to focus on sports ion drinks, whose demand begins to surge from spring to summer.

CU will launch the pouch sports drink 'Real Amino Water Red Beet Plus (1,600 KRW)' in partnership with Kolon Pharmaceutical. Each pack contains amino acids beneficial for muscle activity, including 1,250 mg of L-glutamine, 500 mg of arginine, and 250 mg of BCAA.

They will also introduce 'Vita 500 Ion Plus (2,000 KRW),' a pouch-type ion drink version of Kwangdong Pharmaceutical’s popular health vitamin drink 'Vita 500.' It contains 500 mg of vitamin C, which is 500% of the daily nutritional value, allowing consumers to replenish vitamins, hydration, and electrolytes.

Additionally, CU plans to expand its pouch functional drink lineup with products such as 'Lemona Aid (1,600 KRW),' containing vitamin C, B2, and B6; 'Vita Power Ice (1,300 KRW),' with 500 mg of vitamin C; and 'Extreme Arginine Aid (1,500 KRW),' containing 1,000 mg of arginine for energy boosting. All these drinks come in pouch form, designed to be enjoyed chilled with an ice cup, enhancing convenience.

Jeon Min-jun, MD of the Beverage Food Team at BGF Retail, said, "The convenience store beverage market is being reorganized around ‘health,’ and we are actively responding to this trend by expanding our related beverage lineup. We expect health drinks to continue growing in the future and will consistently introduce differentiated products in this category."

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