CU Hand Warmer Sales Surge Fourfold as Winter Demand Rises

As temperatures drop across South Korea, sales of hand warmers at convenience store chain CU have surged fourfold in the past week. This spike in demand reflects broader consumer shifts toward winter essentials, including seasonal clothing and instant fish cakes. CU reported that from September 28 to October 4, winter clothing sales climbed 69.3%, stockings increased 65.2%, and instant fish cakes rose 57.3%. Other seasonal items like roasted sweet potatoes also saw a 40.3% boost.

Beyond winter gear, CU noted a significant rise in purchases of cold medicine and face masks, with sales up 22.1% and 20.6%, respectively. Demand for hot ready-to-eat food has also picked up, particularly after the store expanded its 'hot bread' lineup last month. Sales in this category jumped 117.3%, driven by heated sandwiches and other warm offerings.

CU recently introduced two new fried pies made fresh in-store: a corn pie filled with corn cream and kernels, and an apple pie combining apple pieces with cinnamon. Both are priced at 2,000 won each and come in easy-to-eat wrappers. The chain is promoting the pies with a buy-two-get-one-free deal through October, reducing the effective price to about 1,333 won per pie.

Corn pies are a popular street food in countries like Thailand but have been sold as limited-time items in South Korea. CU plans to keep the corn pie on its shelves permanently and expand its ready-to-eat food offerings. 'We will broaden the lineup beyond the existing chicken, hot bars, and roasted sweet potatoes to include a wider range of ready-to-eat foods from overseas,' said Kim Dong-ha, a merchandiser on the home meal replacement (HMR) team at BGF Retail.