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| People flock to a CU convenience store in Seoul to purchase alcoholic beverages and snacks on Nov. 24. Courtesy of BGF Retail |
By Kim Jae-heun
Lotte Confectionery saw a surprise sales increase of its steady-selling Ghana chocolate after the Korean national football team advanced to the knockout stage with the help of Ghana losing to Uruguay by only two goals. If Ghana had conceded one more goal in the match, Uruguay would've made it to the next round instead of Korea.
According to GS Retail, an operator of the local convenience store GS25, the sales of Ghana chocolate skyrocketed 46.5 percent on Dec. 3 compared to that on Nov. 18, when the World Cup kicked off in Qatar. Ghana chocolate sales also surged 32.7 percent at another convenience store CU over the weekend. CU is operated by BGF Retail.
Lotte's Ghana chocolate gained instant popularity after the African soccer team helped Korea to make it through to the round of 16.
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| Lotte Confectionery's Ghana chocolate / Courtesy of Lotte Confectionery |
CU saw its revenue from alcoholic beverages and snack food products increase even more thanks to the Korean soccer team's successful performance in the World Cup.
Sales of beer, wine, whisky and soju rose 155 percent, 124 percent, 121 percent and 120 percent, respectively, between 6 p.m. and 12 p.m. on Dec. 2 compared to that on Nov. 18. Sales of fried chicken, dried snacks and instant food also increased by 193 percent, 161 percent and 171 percent, respectively, in the same period.
Looking at the overall sales of CU by time that evening, its revenue started to rise 28 percent from 9 p.m., three hours before the Korean team played against Portugal, and surged to 76 percent at 11 p.m.
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