[Dailyan = Reporter Lee Na-young] CU announced on the 24th that it will sequentially launch seven types of ‘Chuseok Ready-to-Eat Meal Series’ to allow people to enjoy a rich holiday atmosphere even alone, in time for the upcoming Chuseok.
Amidst rising inflation and increasing dining out expenses, and with a longer holiday break this year, demand for convenience store holiday ready-to-eat meals is expected to rise, especially among single-person households.
In fact, CU’s holiday lunchbox sales have shown a steady increase every year. During the holiday period over the past three years (based on three days including the day of the holiday), year-on-year sales of lunchboxes increased by 13.4% in 2022, 18.5% in 2023, and 20.8% in 2024, consistently recording high double-digit growth.
This year’s Lunar New Year holiday saw a 19.4% increase in lunchbox sales compared to the previous year’s holiday. In particular, sales of the limited edition ‘Lunar New Year 11-Delicacy Lunchbox’ jumped by 28.9% during the same period.
Moreover, looking at lunchbox sales by location, areas with a high proportion of single-person households, such as university districts, studio apartment areas, and officetel zones, accounted for 65.1% of the sales, indicating a significant spread of holiday ready-to-eat meal consumption among the ‘solo Chuseok celebrants’ and ‘solo holiday celebrants’.
In response to the increasing demand for holiday ready-to-eat meals, CU expanded its Chuseok meal lineup from one type in previous years to seven types this year. The range includes diverse menus such as a full-course lunchbox, assorted pancakes, ribs, and japchae gimbap, all offered at reasonable prices, seemingly bringing the holiday feast to you.
The flagship product, the ‘Chuseok 11-Delicacy Lunchbox’, features a rich festive meal including grilled short ribs with a special sweet sauce, along with four types of pancakes – omisanjeok, shiitake mushroom, chive, and kimchi pancakes – as well as seasoned vegetables like bracken and spinach, and rice cakes.
Also available are the ‘Assorted Pancakes’, filled with various types of pancakes such as meatballs, perilla leaf pancakes, and omisanjeok, and a single dish lunchbox featuring tender and soft ‘Pork Ribs’ marinated in a sweet and savory special sauce. These offer a convenient way to enjoy labor-intensive holiday dishes, appealing to solo holiday celebrants.
Additionally, other menu items utilizing holiday staple side dishes include ‘Neobiani Triangular Gimbap’, ‘Japchae Triangular Gimbap’, and ‘Japchae Seasoned Gimbap without Cellophane Noodles’.
BGF Retail’s HMR Team MD, Noh Soo-min, stated, “We planned a variety of ready-to-eat meals so that single-person households can comfortably enjoy home-cooked style holiday food during the Chuseok holiday,” adding, “CU will continue to present differentiated ready-to-eat meals tailored to changing lifestyles.”