As the Seoul World Fireworks Festival approaches on September 5, the retail and dining sectors are gearing up for a massive influx of visitors. With over one million spectators expected to gather around the Han River Park, major convenience stores are increasing their product stock by up to 100 times, while restaurants and cafes along the river are launching premium packages to attract customers.
According to industry sources on September 4, convenience store chains CU, GS25, 7-Eleven, and Emart24 are expanding their product orders and staffing at locations near Yeouido, Ichon, and Yongsan, which are within the festival's influence zone. This year's festival is taking place about three weeks earlier than usual, prompting stores to focus on stocking summer essentials like ice cups, bottled water, and beverages.
GS25 plans to secure up to 100 times more products at key locations in Yeouido and Ichon, including beer, bottled water, ready-to-eat meals, and ice cups. They are also preparing additional stock of essential items like picnic mats and portable phone chargers. To ensure smooth operations, they will increase refrigeration equipment and POS systems and deploy additional support staff.
CU is proactively stocking summer products such as ice, bottled water, and beverages, while also increasing the inventory of umbrellas, which saw significant sales last year. 7-Eleven has raised its orders for ice cups, pouch drinks, smoothies, and beer to about 20 times the usual amount. They are also preparing up to 50 times more instant noodles and ready-to-eat meals, and over 10 times more rice balls, sushi, and rolls to meet food demand.
The convenience store industry's large-scale stocking is a response to the high demand observed during last year's festival. On the festival day last year, the average foot traffic at CU stores near Han River Yeouido Park increased by about 100 times compared to the previous week. Sales of portable batteries surged by 87.5 times, bottled water by 67.8 times, and umbrellas by 58.1 times.
GS25 also reported that sales at 10 stores in the Yeouido and Ichon areas increased by up to 850% compared to the same day of the previous week. Sales of ready-to-eat meals like pizza and chicken increased by 119 times, while picnic mats and roasted sweet potatoes saw increases of 75 times each. In some stores, sales during the peak hour from 5 PM exceeded the total sales of the previous week.
Dining and cafe brands are employing 'prime location marketing' to generate high profits in a short time by leveraging views of the Han River. They are packaging the best seats for comfortable viewing of the festival and selling them as premium offerings.
Starbucks has utilized the Kakao reservation system to sell 52 seats at its Yeouido Han River Park location ahead of the fireworks festival. This package includes not just seat reservations but also beverages and exclusive merchandise. Despite the high prices of 200,000 won for silver seats and 300,000 won for gold seats, all seats sold out within just 30 seconds of reservations opening, demonstrating strong demand.
Ashley Queens, operated by E-Land Eats, has also offered around 170 seats at its Yeouido Han River Park location for the fireworks festival. Normally, the restaurant charges 29,900 won per adult on weekends and holidays, but festival packages range from 590,000 to 1.29 million won, depending on the number of guests and seat location. The package includes buffet access, outdoor deck space for viewing the fireworks, and VIP boarding passes for E-Land Cruises. This offering is also fully booked.
An industry insider stated, "On the day of the fireworks festival, a large crowd gathers in a short time, significantly increasing the number of visitors and sales at stores near Yeouido and the Han River. With many spectators expected this year, the industry is responding by increasing product stock and creating special offerings that leverage store locations to meet festival demand."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.