Korean convenience stores have changed the way they sell vegetables to give consumers an alternative to larger supermarkets as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to a report from the Korea Times, government measures prompting people to stay home have seen consumers turn to online shopping nearby convenience stores over larger supermarkets.
In response to this trend, smaller retailers have introduced new product lines and discounted prices to combat the perception of a lower-quality offering compared to larger stores.
BGF Retail and GS Retail have launched promotions for vegetables at CU and GS Fresh Mall, respectively. CU is BGF Retail's convenience store brand and GS Fresh Mall is GS Retail's online grocery store.
BGF Retail had also streamlined its distribution process and worked directly with growers in order to cut prices.
'Convenience stores have been offering various types of vegetables at reasonable prices and doing so has increased sales significantly. We will continue to provide convenience to our customers by introducing a greater variety of products according to their needs,' a BGF Retail official told the Korea Times.
GS Retail opened a special store for vegetables in its online GS Fresh Mall where it provides daily discounts for 50 different types of vegetables.
“Customers are now shopping by searching for quality products at the lowest prices. We have adopted this new strategy to catch the trend and offer the freshest vegetables at the best prices. We hope this will contribute to price stability for our food too,' a GS Retail official told the Korea Times.
