Fireworks Festival Boosts Sales for Convenience Stores and Hotels Around the Han River Amidst 1 Million Attendees

Convenience Store Sales Surpass Daily Average in One Hour... Picnic Mats Up 75x, Ramyeon Up 40x, Beer Up 22x

Yeouido and Mapo Hotels Reach Full Occupancy... Even Suites Priced in the 10 Million Won Range Sold Out

Seven Eleven [Provided by Seven Eleven. Resale and DB prohibited]

Convenience stores and hotels near the venue experienced a boom following the '2025 Seoul International Fireworks Festival,' held yesterday at Yeouido Hangang Park, which drew a massive crowd.

According to GS Retail [007070], sales at 10 GS25 convenience stores in areas like Yeouido and Ichon-dong, considered within the festival's impact zone, surged by up to 850% compared to the previous Saturday (September 20th). Each store recorded its highest daily sales for the year.

Sales peaked around 5 PM, with some stores exceeding the entire previous weekday's daily sales in just one hour during the peak time.

Regarding sales growth compared to the previous Saturday, among food items, instant convenience foods like premium pizza and dakgangjeong saw an increase of up to 119 times, followed by roasted sweet potatoes at 75 times, ice cream at 8 times, and kimbap and noodles at 4 times.

Alcohol sales also increased significantly, with beer up 22 times and highball up 13 times, while snack sales rose by 10 times.

Among non-food items, picnic mat sales increased 75 times, portable chargers 38 times, and wet wipes and tissues 10 times.

CU [Provided by CU. Resale and DB prohibited]

CU, operated by BGF Retail [282330], also reported an increase in sales at its stores in Yeouido, Yongsan, and Banpo compared to the previous Saturday.

Food sales saw dessert items increase by 59 times, snacks by 55 times, kimbap by 41 times, and ramyeon by 38 times.

Product sales showed a 106-fold increase in hot packs, 49-fold in picnic mats, and 88-fold in portable batteries.

Seven Eleven, a convenience store chain under Lotte, also stated that sales at its approximately 20 stores near Yeouido Hangang Park significantly increased compared to the previous Saturday.

Among food items, ramyeon sales rose by 40 times, and instant food items like roasted sweet potatoes and chicken saw a 30-fold increase.

Additionally, influenced by the chilly weather and the popularity of matcha, green tea sales increased by about 20 times, and beer sales by 15 times.

Items needed for outdoor activities, such as picnic mats and knee blankets, increased by about 40 times, and mobile accessory sales, like portable chargers, rose by 30 times.

Emart24 [Provided by Emart24. Resale and DB prohibited]

Emart24 reported that sales at its six stores in Yeouido and Ichon-dong increased by up to 8.6 times compared to the previous Saturday.

Among key items, sales of disposable portable chargers and picnic mats increased by 65 times and 52 times, respectively, compared to the previous Saturday.

Food sales included a 15-fold increase in ice cream, 14-fold in beer, and 13-fold in bottled water and cup ramyeon. Sales of convenience foods such as triangle kimbap, sandwiches, and burgers increased by 5 times.

Convenience store officials stated, "We secured sufficient stock of high-demand items like beverages and instant foods in preparation for the crowds on the event day, and focused on creating a safe shopping environment by deploying additional staff."

'Spectacular Autumn Night Fireworks'... Seoul International Fireworks Festival Held at Yeouido Hangang Park

Hotels in the Han River vicinity, including Yeouido and Mapo, also benefited from a surge in bookings, with occupancy rates significantly higher than typical weekends.

Due to traffic congestion that occurs annually during the fireworks festival in Yeouido, accommodation demand surged, leading to near full occupancy at most hotels. Luxury hotels in Yeouido, known as prime spots for fireworks viewing, even sold out suites priced in the mid-10 million won range.

A hotel representative in Yeouido commented, "Although our hotel does not have a direct view of the fireworks, rooms were nearly fully booked from early on, likely due to parking and transportation issues. I understand that hotels with Han River views are usually fully booked once the fireworks festival schedule is confirmed."

As rooms with fireworks views became highly sought after, listings appeared on second-hand trading sites to resell reserved rooms. Hotel room prices tend to increase as the stay date approaches and fewer rooms are available, creating a structure for sellers to profit from the price difference.

A hotel official stated, "We inform guests of our non-resale policy when selling rooms, and we are working internally to prevent cases of resale at inflated prices through online monitoring." Yonhap News