According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations has more than quintupled over the past four weeks. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – With signs of a new COVID-19 wave emerging, convenience stores in South Korea are experiencing a significant increase in demand for self-testing kits during the vacation season.
With some stores running out of stock, online shopping malls are seeing sharp price increases for these kits.
According to convenience store industry data released on August 8, CU reported a 132% increase in self-testing kit sales last month compared to the previous month.
In the first five days of August, sales skyrocketed by 833% compared to July, with nearly 7,980 kits sold during this brief period.
The surge in sales was particularly notable in southern regions, including Jeju Island, coinciding with the summer vacation season. Many vacationers appear to be purchasing kits at their holiday destinations.
COVID Test Kit Sales are surging (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
CU’s regional sales growth rates for self-testing kits show Jeju Island leading with a 316.4% increase, followed by South Jeolla Province at 246.9%, Busan at 236.1%, South Gyeongsang Province at 198.4%, and Ulsan at 186.7%.
In addition to self-testing kits, CU reported that mask and hand sanitizer sales also increased by 39.4% and 27.4% respectively compared to the previous month.
While self-testing kit sales had been declining monthly since February due to a decrease in COVID-19 cases, they began to rebound sharply last month as infections started to spread rapidly again.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations has more than quintupled over the past four weeks.
A survey of 220 sample monitoring institutions in hospitals with more than 200 beds nationwide showed that new COVID-19 patients increased from 91 in the first week of July to 465 in the fourth week.
During the same period, the COVID-19 pathogen detection rate rose from 11.6% to 29.2%.
GS25, another major convenience store chain, reported a 221.1% growth in self-testing kit sales last month compared to the previous month. In the first five days of August, sales grew by 1,308.2% compared to the same period in July.
Disinfectant sales increased by 12.3% and 46.7%, while mask sales grew by 10.6% and 30.8% during the same periods.
The highest growth was observed in resort areas, where self-testing kit sales surged by 2,555.2% in the past five days compared to the same period in July. 7-Eleven also reported a 200% increase in self-testing kit sales last month compared to the previous month.
The industry is rapidly expanding the supply of test kits in response to the surge in demand. GS25, which had been selling one type of self-testing kit, temporarily reduced the maximum supply per store from eight to four on August 6 to ensure even distribution.
On August 8, the company increased the number of product types to two and expanded the maximum supply per store back to eight. On August 10, GS25 plans to introduce another type, bringing the total to three, and increase the maximum supply to 12 per store, triple the usual amount.
A GS25 representative stated, “The demand for self-testing kits is exploding due to the resurgence of COVID-19. We will continue to secure and supply stable quantities.”
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
