The number of travelers going abroad during the Lunar New Year holiday surged, resulting in convenience store sales at airports increasing up to three times compared to last year's Lunar New Year.
According to CU on the 30th, sales at stores located in major airports such as Incheon, Gimpo, Gimhae, and Jeju International Airports from the 25th to the 28th increased by 168% compared to last year's Lunar New Year. Sales at all CU stores within Incheon Airport rose by more than three times (234%), while sales increased by 119% at Gimpo International Airport, 83% at Jeju International Airport, and 53% at Gimhae International Airport.
The products with the highest sales growth rates were pain relievers (621%), cold medicine (382%), and over-the-counter medicines (577%). Sales of hygiene products such as masks (345%), hand sanitizers (193%), mouthwash (158%), and handwash (49%) also increased, along with travel toiletry sets (62%), shaving products (48%), and clothing items (34%). Phone chargers (169%) and charging cables (38%), as well as power banks (73%), also ranked among the top-selling items.
Additionally, instant ramen (350%), as well as sauces like gochujang, seaweed, kimchi, and instant rice, also saw sales increase by 1.5 to 4 times compared to the previous year.
Lee Jong-dae, head of sales planning at BGF Retail, noted, "We anticipated a significant increase in international travelers during the golden holiday, so we expanded our inventory of key products more than ten times compared to usual," and added, "We will also enhance our response capacity after the holiday."