Hangover-cure drinks are on display at a convenience store in this photo provided by CU.
SEOUL, April 11 (Korea Bizwire) — Sales of hangover-cure drinks soar again as the operational hours of restaurants and bars are being extended and the number of private gatherings at night is increasing thanks to the government’s easing of social distancing rules, data showed Sunday.
According to convenience store chain CU, sales of hangover drinks jumped by 20.6 percent for the week starting from February 19, when the operational hours of restaurants and bars were extended from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m., compared to the week before.
Even for the week starting from March 5, when the operational hours were extended further to 11 p.m., sales rose by 25 percent compared to the previous week.
For the week starting from March 21, when restrictions on private gatherings were eased from six to eight persons, sales up by 24.6 percent compared to a week earlier.
During the period from April 4 to 7, after restrictions on private gatherings and operational hours were eased further to 10 persons and 12 a.m., sales jumped by 26.2 percent compared to the previous four days.
Antihangover drinks selling at convenience stores are exemplary products for which the easing of social distancing rules is directly reflected in sales.
In February last year, when the social distancing guidelines for metropolitan areas were eased to Level 2, the sales of hangover-cure drinks at CU marked a 37.2 percent growth compared to a month earlier.
However, in July, when social distancing guidelines were strengthened to Level 7 due to the fourth wave of the pandemic, sales fell by 24.3 percent compared to a month earlier.
In November, when the government implemented measures to return to normal life on a gradual basis, sales of hangover drinks jumped by 50.3 percent compared to a month earlier.
However, a month later in December, sales dropped by 26.4 percent compared to a month earlier when the government strengthened social distancing rules due to the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
