Cup coffee up 7x, ramyun sales double: Convenience stores cash in on fall foliage season

Sales at stores near major mountains climb by double digits; kimbap demand surges

Chains rush to stock up on ready-to-eat meals, drinks and hiking gear

Seoraksan National Park [Provided by Klook]

"Let's eat convenience store kimbap at the summit."

On Monday morning, a convenience store near Seoul National University Station in Gwanak-gu was buzzing. Five customers in hiking gear lined up at the register, and more kept streaming in before the first group had even paid. Shoppers grabbed ready-to-eat meals one by one, setting them on the counter alongside bottled water and drinks. The prepared-food shelf was packed with kimbap rolls, triangle rice balls and sandwiches.

As the fall foliage season hits its stride, hikers are flocking to mountains across the country — and the convenience stores nearby are reaping an unexpected windfall. Cooler temperatures have made for ideal hiking conditions, and the long holiday weekend drew even more day-trippers out to see the autumn leaves. Demand has surged for easy trail snacks: instant ramyun, rice cakes and grab-and-go meals.

Industry data released Wednesday showed that sales at convenience stores near major mountains — including Seoraksan and Jirisan — rose across the board from Saturday through Monday. Seven-Eleven reported a 20 percent year-on-year increase at roughly 10 stores near Seoraksan and Odaesan. GS25 posted an 11.9 percent gain at seven stores near prominent mountains including Seoraksan and Jirisan over the same period.

At Seven-Eleven, hikers' spending patterns were unmistakable. Candy sales surged 162 percent year-on-year, while chilled desserts jumped 143 percent and soy milk 135 percent. Sports drinks and pouch beverages — popular for quenching thirst on the trail — climbed 58 percent and 53 percent, respectively. Sales of traditional Korean liquor, favored by hikers for a post-climb drink, rose 76 percent.

At CU, products suited for quick meals before or after a hike led the gains. Instant ramyun sales at stores near major mountains rose 74.7 percent year-on-year from Saturday through Monday. Rice cakes (72.7 percent), chocolate (55.1 percent), sandwiches (44.8 percent), bread (40.6 percent), rice balls (37.9 percent) and kimbap (36.7 percent) all posted strong growth. Processed meat products (25.6 percent), bottled water (20.7 percent) and hamburgers (19.5 percent) also increased.

E-mart 24 saw similar results. Sales at three stores near Seoraksan from Saturday through Monday jumped 46 percent compared with the same days the previous week. Single-cup coffee and tea products — made by adding hot water — surged 623 percent, while makgeolli (331 percent), sandwiches (200 percent), ramyun (133 percent), hot bar snacks (121 percent) and chilled coffee (88 percent) were also popular.

Convenience store chains are ramping up operations at mountain-adjacent stores to meet foliage-season demand. They plan to increase deliveries of ready-to-eat meals and hot beverages favored by hikers, and to stock up on outdoor essentials such as hand warmers and portable phone batteries.

Seven-Eleven has been rolling out new ready-to-eat products using seasonal ingredients to cater to autumn hikers and day-trippers. On Saturday, it launched a sweet potato croquette burger stuffed with a whole large croquette. Earlier, on Sept. 24, it released a chewy sweet potato bar.

CU has also turned its attention to the environmental impact of increased trail traffic. The chain ran a campaign to reduce liquid waste generated on hikes, distributing more than 4,000 free packets of "Magic Bomb" — a portable liquid-solidifying agent — at stores near 10 popular hiking trails nationwide, including those at Gwanaksan, Bukhansan, Dobongsan, Geumjeongsan, Mireuksan, Palgongsan, Seoraksan, Woraksan, Naejangsan and Sobaeksan. Magic Bomb turns leftover broth into a gel that can be disposed of as regular trash.

"Sales of ready-to-eat meals, drinks and snacks have been rising noticeably at stores near major mountains recently," an industry official said. "We expect hiker numbers to increase further as the foliage peaks, so we plan to manage inventory flexibly by monitoring demand at each store."

Seven-Eleven's sweet potato croquette burger, launched Saturday, and its chewy sweet potato bar, released last month [Provided by Seven-Eleven]

siuu@heraldcorp.com