“Convenient, yet special in flavor” ... Convenience-store ready-meal race heats up

[Financial News] Convenience store chains are expanding their ready-meal product ranges to meet consumer demand for a quick, easy meal. With high prices increasing the burden of dining out, they are moving to capture the ready-meal market by rolling out a succession of new products featuring collaborations with well-known restaurants and distinctive ingredients.
According to the convenience store industry on the 20th, 7-Eleven, operated by KOREA SEVEN CO., LTD., will launch “Si-kyung’s Pick Sweet Cabbage and Spicy Pork Bibimbap,” the latest addition to its “Si-kyung’s Pick Bibimbap Series,” created in collaboration with singer Sung Si-kyung. The new product features domestically grown cabbage and stir-fried spicy pork as its main ingredients. Special gochujang made with sun-dried red peppers, seven toppings including carrots, shiitake mushrooms and bean sprouts, and sesame oil round it out, adding a rich texture and flavor.
First introduced on the 2nd of last month, the Si-kyung’s Pick Bibimbap Series has sold more than 500,000 units to date. Its flagship item, “Jeonju-Style Beef Bibimbap,” has held the top spot in 7-Eleven’s overall lunchbox sales rankings since its launch. The popularity has extended to delivery services as well. Since the series launched, 7-Eleven’s lunchbox delivery sales have risen 65% from the same period a year earlier.
The popularity of ready meals is widely attributed to the growing burden of dining out amid high prices. Convenience-store ready meals, which offer a relatively inexpensive way to get a meal, are seen as an alternative. Rising numbers of single-person households and the spread of a consumer trend toward quick meals amid busy daily routines have also contributed to increased demand. In response, the industry is seeking to attract consumers with distinctive products.
GS25, operated by GS Retail, has been rolling out a series of gimbap products in collaboration with well-known restaurants. This month, it partnered with Botanical Garden Gimbap, which made headlines after being featured by a famous celebrity, to launch “Pollock Roe and Whole Egg Gimbap” and “Flying Fish Roe and Aged Kimchi Gimbap.” Sales of Pollock Roe and Whole Egg Gimbap have topped 80,000 units since its launch, while Flying Fish Roe and Aged Kimchi Gimbap surpassed 100,000 units in cumulative sales just one week after launch. Helped by the popularity of these new products, GS25’s gimbap sales from the 1st through the 18th of this month rose 37.6% from the same period a year earlier.
GS25 is also expanding its ready-meal range. It plans to broaden consumer choice by introducing bakery-style sandwiches made with ciabatta, salt bread and soboro bread instead of regular sliced bread, as well as two varieties of bite-sized mini gimbap.
CU Convenience Store (CU), operated by BGF Retail Co., Ltd., is expanding its product range to meet demand for convenient breakfasts. Early this year, CU introduced the “get Morning” series, offering light breakfast options, and launched mini gimbap, muffins and sandwiches. Mini gimbap accounts for 68% of the series’ total sales, the highest share among its products. In fact, CU’s gimbap sales from January to September this year rose 19.4% from the same period a year earlier.
CU is strengthening its mini-gimbap range to meet this demand. “Spam Egg Half-and-Half Mini Gimbap,” launched last month, sold 200,000 units in a month, and on the 14th the company added “Tuna Richam Half-and-Half Mini Gimbap.”
Kim Yu-ju, a merchandiser on BGF Retail’s Convenience Food Team, said, “get Morning mini gimbap is drawing even greater interest because it is linked to the breakfast trend as well as the growing small-meal trend, which favors lighter meals.” She added, “CU will continue to use close analysis of trends to introduce tailored products that fit customers’ changing daily routines just right.”
[email protected] Jang Yu-ha Reporter