Sales Triple as 10,000 Fans Gather: Gwanghwamun Convenience Store Owners All Smiles

Ice Sales Up to 5 Times, Beer Triples in Sales
Sharp Increase in Game Day Snack Revenue

Stronger Marketing Following National Team’s Success
Beer Bundle and Chicken Discount Promotions Launched

On June 12, when the Korean national football team played its first match of the 2026 global football tournament against the Czech Republic, tens of thousands of football fans gathered for street cheering in Gwanghwamun, resulting in a significant boost for nearby convenience stores, who enjoyed their own "World Cup special demand." In particular, demand for ready-to-eat meals, beverages, and beer surged, leading to a sharp increase in convenience store sales.

According to the convenience store industry on June 14, an analysis of sales at CU, operated by BGF Retail, and Emart24, part of the Emart group, showed that on the day of the match, sales at stores near Gwanghwamun increased by up to three times compared to the same day of the previous week.

CU announced that sales at around 10 stores near Gwanghwamun, where the street cheering was held, increased 3.4 times compared to the previous week. This was due to the surge in the number of customers, with about 10,000 cheering fans gathering even though the match was held during weekday daytime hours.

Sales surged particularly starting one hour before the match. Summer beverages and alcoholic drinks saw significant increases: ice (up 510.3%), iced drinks (495.8%), sports and ion drinks (480.9%), ice cream (409.2%), bottled water (394.7%), and beer (310.1%). Ready-to-eat meals such as gimbap (214.3%), triangular gimbap (202.5%), and sandwiches (183.1%) all more than doubled, while snacks (211.6%), bread (159.9%), desserts (126.7%), and meat-based side dishes (113.2%) also saw strong demand increases.

Sales of cheering preparation items were also notable. Portable batteries jumped by 640.2%, mobile phone accessories by 525.5%, mats by 410.1%, and wet wipes by 396.4%, reflecting demand from those attending street cheering events.

Emart24 also saw sales at its stores near Gwanghwamun rise by up to 59% compared to the same day of the previous week. By product, sandwich sales climbed 142%, the highest increase, while burgers (128%), bread (96%), and triangular gimbap (60%) also recorded sharp increases in demand for ready-to-eat meals.

Beverages were also strong performers, with pouch drinks up 104%, carbonated and sports drinks up 77%, and bottled water up 40%. Since the match was held at 11 a.m., many customers sought easy-to-enjoy food and beverages before, after, or during cheering.

Alcohol sales also soared. Beer sales at Emart24 jumped 218% compared to the previous week—more than tripling—while side dishes and snack sales rose 63% and 65%, respectively. Sales of portable chargers and charging cables also rose 275%, reflecting on-site cheering needs.

The industry expects the enthusiasm for cheering to grow even further in upcoming matches following the national team’s first victory and is expanding related discount promotions.

CU is running bundle discounts on domestic and imported beer and chicken promotions to capture cheering demand. Hanmac and Kelly canned beers are offered at 16,000 won for eight cans, while bundles of four cans of popular imported beers such as Stella, Heineken, and Hoegaarden are sold at 10,000 won. In addition, for three days before and after each national team match, three types of large-size instant chicken are discounted by 3,000 won.

Emart24 is also selling four popular beer bundle sets at a flat price of 8,000 won with promotional card payment through the end of June, and offers an extra 30% discount when purchasing two or more “Pocha24” side dish brand items. In addition, discounts are being offered on popular cheering-related products such as energy drinks and instant iced coffee, and a match result prediction event for national team matches is also underway.

A convenience store industry official said, "As the national team’s matches continue, we expect the nationwide enthusiasm for cheering to grow even stronger," adding, "We anticipate even greater demand for convenience stores, especially for food, alcohol, and cheering goods."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.