After a period of high growth, the convenience store industry has shown a clear slump this year. The industry plans to launch full-fledged marketing around Pepero Day (Nov. 11), a traditional peak sales period.
According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the 2nd, convenience store sales in the first and second quarters fell 0.4% and 0.5%, respectively, from a year earlier. Following the first decline in sales last year, the recovery this year remains sluggish.
In the third quarter, the government's consumer coupon policy offered brief relief. But it is hard to shake the assessment that the sector has entered a period of stagnation. A convenience store official said, "As of August, convenience store sales were counted as up 1.1% from the same month a year earlier. Because the coupons could not be used at big-box stores, the figure rebounded only temporarily."
Amid this, the three convenience store chains—CU, GS25 and 7-Eleven—are going all out for Pepero Day on Nov. 11 (Tuesday), considered the last major event of the year. Last year, Pepero Day fell on a Monday, and a sharp drop in temperatures around that time limited the sales effect. This year, however, the industry expects gift demand at corporations and schools to revive.
Keeping pace, the convenience store industry is drawing up various sales strategies. A representative tactic is selling various goods in collaboration with characters together with Pepero. Convenience store CU plans to unveil differentiated Pepero Day products in collaboration with the Pokémon character "Ditto." It has prepared a Ditto suitcase and eco-bag, a Pepero key ring, and random stickers. It also plans to launch products in collaboration with the characters "Jjonnyami" and "Ttarimongttang."
GS25 will roll out two "Pepero special lectures" aligned with the college entrance exam period, in collaboration with EBSi, applying the 2025 study guide package from EBSi as is. Stickers with messages of support, a good-luck talisman, and an e-book course coupon are included.
Seven-Eleven, the convenience store brand of Lotte Group, is preparing various promotional marketing efforts as Lotte Group focuses companywide on Pepero sales. Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin has previously ordered that Pepero be grown into a "global mega brand."
An industry official said, "With consumer sentiment still frozen, Pepero Day is effectively the last major event left this year," adding, "What matters is how each company can open consumers' wallets with differentiated strategies."
Nam Seong-hyeon, an analyst at IBK Securities, said, "Considering the effects of consumer coupon payments, the pruning of unprofitable stores, and last year's low base, the convenience store sector is more likely to improve in the second half than in the first," adding, "It is worth watching whether seasonal events like Pepero Day will serve as a primer for a rebound in results."