SEOUL, April 14 (Korea Bizwire) — The Korean Wave is sweeping over Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur after locals flocked to a newly opened CU convenience store last week.
BGF Retail Co. said Tuesday that CU Centerpoint, its first franchise in Malaysia, was visited by more than 11,000 local consumers in the last 10 days.
The feat comes despite quarantine measures that limited the store’s operating hours to between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. with only 30 customers permitted at a time.
The unprecedented popularity reflects local demand for experiencing Korean culture, at a time when overseas travel is difficult due to the coronavirus.
In fact, all top five bestsellers at CU Centerpoint in the last 10 days were Korean products, including tteokbokki, a popular Korean snack made from rice cakes and red chili pepper sauce, which ranked first.
More than one third of total sales at CU Centerpoint consisted of instant food products from South Korea.
Image Credit: BGF Retail / photonews@koreabizwire.com