<Korean News> Sales of Iced Americano Decline Due to the Strongest Cold Wave.

Last week, the strongest cold wave of this winter swept through, and even those who proudly claimed to prefer iced Americano in the freezing cold could be seen giving up their icy drinks.

<In Korea, many people prefer iced coffee even during the middle of winter>

According to the distribution industry on the 13th, sales of iced Americano in domestic convenience stores in January decreased by at least 10% and up to 15% compared to the previous month.

At GS Retail’s GS25, sales of iced products made with coffee beans dropped by 12.3% from the 1st to the 12th compared to the previous month, while sales of hot coffee increased by 6.3%. In December, the sales ratio of coffee bean products maintained a balance of 7% hot coffee and 23% iced, but in January, hot coffee surged to 81%, and iced coffee fell below 20% to 19%.

BGF Retail’s CU’s "get coffee" saw a 10.9% decrease in iced Americano sales compared to the previous month, while hot Americano sales rose by 17.5%. Similarly, at E-Mart 24, sales of instant coffee showed a 3% increase for hot coffee and a 10% decrease for iced coffee during the same period.

Major café brands also showed a decline in iced Americano sales. Notably, budget-friendly coffee brands experienced a strong shift towards hot beverages over cold ones.

Between the 6th and the 12th, Ediya Coffee reported a roughly 10% decrease in iced Americano sales, with the decrease directly translating into increased hot Americano sales. Mega Coffee and Compose Coffee also noted a slight decline compared to the previous week.

Besides the cold wave, the flu outbreak contributed to consumers opting for hot drinks. On an internet community popular among iced Americano lovers, comments such as "I was worried about catching the flu because my throat was sore, so I ordered a hot drink instead of an iced one" were posted.

For Korean shopping and business agency services

www.online-korea.com