Over 10,000 fans pack street-cheering zones;
food, drinks, beer and chargers fly off shelves
Convenience stores near Gwanghwamun all posted sharp sales jumps as street-cheering events were held there for South Korea's opening match of the 2026 North America World Cup.
According to industry data released Saturday, sales at 10 Seven-Eleven stores near Gwanghwamun jumped 318 percent from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday compared with the same hours the previous week. Up to 14,000 fans packed the Gwanghwamun street-cheering zone that day to watch South Korea's thrilling comeback victory over the Czech Republic, driving broad demand for snacks, beer and other drinks.
Beer led all categories at Seven-Eleven, surging 180-fold, while umbrella sales rose 24-fold. Sports drinks jumped 871 percent, ice 521 percent, water 411 percent, refrigerated desserts 268 percent, refrigerated foods such as sausages 234 percent, snacks 146 percent, ramyun 114 percent, ready-to-eat meals 89 percent and bread 83 percent. Mobile phone accessories including portable chargers also climbed 81 percent.
At 10 Seven-Eleven stores near Yeouido, where street cheering also took place during the same hours, sales doubled. Beer surged 3,100 percent, ice cream 648 percent, ready-to-eat chicken 560 percent, umbrellas 260 percent, sports drinks 204 percent, water 142 percent and ramyun 90 percent.
Sales at roughly 10 CU stores near Gwanghwamun also jumped about 3.4 times compared with the previous week. Ice rose 510.3 percent, iced drinks 495.8 percent, sports and ion drinks 480.9 percent, ice cream 409.2 percent, water 394.7 percent and beer 310.1 percent.
Ready-to-eat foods also sold briskly — kimbap rose 214.3 percent, triangle kimbap 202.5 percent and sandwiches 183.1 percent. Demand was strong for snacks and drinking accompaniments as well: snack items climbed 211.6 percent, bread 159.9 percent, desserts 126.7 percent and dried meat snacks 113.2 percent.
Among non-food items, portable battery packs surged 640.2 percent, mobile phone accessories 525.5 percent, picnic mats 410.1 percent, wet wipes 396.4 percent and sunscreen 160.3 percent.
CU said products not normally in high demand — such as picnic mats, portable battery packs and phone charging cables — saw a significant lift. The chain added that food and beverage sales were strong before and during the match, while beer, highball drinks, snacks and ice cream all surged after South Korea's victory.
E-Mart24 stores near Gwanghwamun also posted sales gains of up to 59 percent on Friday compared with the same day the previous week.
Among food items, sandwiches recorded the highest growth at 142 percent, followed by burgers at 128 percent, bread at 96 percent and triangle kimbap at 60 percent. Beverages also performed strongly — pouch drinks rose 104 percent, carbonated and sports drinks 77 percent and water 40 percent. Cup ice posted a particularly strong gain of 233 percent.
Alcohol and snack sales also rose sharply. Beer sales tripled, climbing 218 percent over the previous week, while snacks to pair with beer climbed 63 percent and confectionery 65 percent. Portable chargers and charging cables jumped 275 percent compared with the week before.
E-Mart24 said that because the match kicked off at 11 a.m., many customers were looking for easy-to-eat food and drinks to enjoy before, during and after the game.
spa@heraldcorp.com
