With the rain that had lingered for a while letting up and temperatures forecast to drop sharply starting next week, convenience store chains have switched en masse to "winter mode." They are rolling out not only winter snacks such as steamed buns and roasted sweet potatoes but also cold-weather gear, kicking off full-fledged winter marketing.
According to the Korea meteorological Administration, morning lows across most regions nationwide are expected to fall below 10 degrees on Oct. 20–21. With a sudden cold snap on the way, convenience store chains finished preparations early to meet rising demand for winter-season products.
GS Retail's GS25 has been responding quickly, unveiling winter snack products since last month. Notably, it introduced the 700-won "bite-size roasted sweet potato (80g)" and budget fish cake skewers priced in the 1,000-won range. Through Oct. 31, a "more the better" promotion offers discounts from 2,000 won for one item to 1,200 won each when buying five or more, allowing customers to enjoy snacks at reasonable prices.
It is also expanding its lineup of steamed buns, a signature winter item. After launching red bean and honey sweet potato buns on Oct. 15, it will add vegetable and pizza buns starting Oct. 22. This month and next month, GS Pay users will get a "1+1" deal on bundle purchases.
Cold-weather gear has also been strengthened. Since Sept. 11, GS25 has rolled out nine types of heat packs, including large, medium, and adhesive versions, and added two new heat packs (adhesive and regular) featuring a "fish-shaped bun" design modeled after a winter snack. The tights category, considered a wintertime "sales powerhouse," ranges widely from value options in the 4,000-won range to premium lines in the 10,000-won range.
BGF Retail's CU has also moved proactively to prepare for winter. Starting Sept. 1, it began selling roasted sweet potato products made with fresh sweet potatoes from Gochang, about a month earlier than last year. CU's roasted sweet potato sales have steadily increased over the past three years, with growth rates of 22.4% in 2023, 23.9% in 2024, and 26.2% this year (January–August).
Since Sept. 18, it has been selling three differentiated heat packs along with a total of 22 cold-weather apparel items, including sheer fleece tights and thermal socks.
Seven-Eleven on Oct. 16 became the first in the industry to unveil six private-brand knitwear items containing cashmere. It is also rolling out various cold-weather items such as fleece-lined tights, neck warmers, knit socks, cold-weather masks, gloves, and earmuffs. In food, it plans to launch two distinctive steamed bun varieties on Oct. 29 in collaboration with Buchang Confectionery.
Emart24 will sequentially introduce cold-weather gear and lip care products starting this month, alongside ready-to-eat snacks such as roasted sweet potatoes and steamed buns. It also said it plans to run a range of discount promotions.