Foreign tourists flock to beaches, boosting coastal convenience store sales

Sales at convenience stores near South Korea's most popular beaches have surged as foreign tourists pour into coastal destinations across the country.

BGF Retail said Tuesday that July sales to foreign customers at CU stores in Busan, Gangwon Province, Jeju Island and Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province — home to Daecheon Beach — rose 108.3 percent from a year earlier. The figures are based on transactions made with overseas payment methods spanning 19 countries, including Alipay and WeChat Pay.

Stores in Suyeong-gu, the Busan district that includes Gwangalli Beach, posted the highest growth rate among foreign customers at 189.9 percent. Haeundae-gu followed at 120.7 percent. Gangneung and Sokcho in Gangwon Province recorded gains of 85.1 percent and 82.0 percent, respectively, while Jeju Island rose 76.2 percent and Boryeong 73.2 percent.

GS25 reported similar trends based on Alipay and WeChat Pay transactions. July sales at stores near tourist sites in Gangneung jumped 300.4 percent from a year earlier, while Gwangalli locations in Busan climbed 264.8 percent. Haeundae stores rose 84.7 percent, Sokcho 55.0 percent and Jeju 49.8 percent.

At Seven-Eleven, stores near tourist sites in Sokcho led with a 167 percent increase in foreign sales in July, followed by Busan tourist-area stores at 146 percent. Yeosu rose 91 percent, Samcheok 64 percent and Jeju 53 percent. Those figures are based on Alipay, UnionPay and WeChat Pay transactions.

E-mart24 said July sales via WeChat Pay and Alipay at its stores in Busan, Gyeongju and Gangneung rose 160 percent from a year earlier. All 10 of its top stores by WeChat Pay and Alipay spending were located in Busan, underscoring the strength of the trend.

Foreign visitors primarily bought products suited for summer outdoor activities and K-food items. At GS25, the biggest year-on-year increases in foreign spending were in batteries (222.3 percent), sunscreen products (115.2 percent), bagged ice (96.2 percent) and cup ice (85.4 percent). At Seven-Eleven, top sellers among foreign customers included banana milk, espresso xylitol gum, Cass and Terra beer, and Gamdongran eggs.

As the number of foreign visitors to South Korea continues to grow, convenience store chains are actively courting that customer base, including by opening stores tailored to tourists. CU has expanded its "tourism-specialty stores" — which carry products such as hanbok magnets and Korean-themed doll keyrings — to about 500 locations and plans to add roughly 300 more by the end of the year.