 |
CU employees hold up a Chuseok holiday gift catalog of yachts and cars inside a CU convenience store. (BGF Retail) |
With the Chuseok fall harvest holiday just about a month away, convenience stores are rolling out some of the most unexpected luxury gift sets to attract customers.
On Tuesday, CU, a leading convenience store chain here, said it is presenting some 500 Chuseok holiday gift sets in 16 product categories, including yachts and imported cars.
BGF Retail, the firm behind the convenience store chain, said it is rolling out six different Bavaria brand yachts from Hyundai Yachts, with prices varying from the cheapest at 249 million won ($211,700) to the most expensive model of 960 million won.
The yachts all have a cabin, a kitchen and a toilet, and the buyer can choose the room layout, the convenience store chain said.
CU is also presenting eight long-term rental cars from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Tesla, Hyundai Motor and Kia.
Under the 48-month contract, the buyer pays 30 percent of the car price in advance and the rest in monthly installments, CU said. The annual mileage is limited to 20,000 kilometers.
CU is selling trailer houses for this year’s Chuseok holiday, again, after selling three last year. It will launch four types of split-level trailer houses and one single-story unit. Prices start from 13.5 million won to 19 million won.
Their decision to include the luxury products comes from their expectations for “revenge spending” -- the idea that people will want to open the wallets they’ve kept closed during the COVID-19 pandemic for something out of ordinary, CU explained.
 |
GS25 presents 2.03-carat and 1.23-carat diamonds, authenticated by the Gemological Institute of America as Chuseok holiday gifts. (GS25) |
GS25, a rival convenience store chain operated by GS Retail, is also rolling out some expensive Chuseok holiday gift items, including diamonds and high-end wines, as it has increased the number of Chuseok holiday gifts by 19 percent on-year, the company said.
Among the newly presented products are 2.03-carat and 1.23-carat diamonds, authenticated by the Gemological Institute of America. Prices for the diamonds are 38.3 million won and 17.6 million won, respectively.
GS25 is also presenting limited edition gold coins and gold bars, ranging from 363,000 won to 43 million won.
A gift wine set that consists of six wines, including Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2003 and Chateau Margaux 1996, is also on sale at a price of 10 million won, GS25 said.
Convenience store chain 7-Eleven is also entering in the competition, rolling out 570 Chuseok holiday gifts, including Macallan M Decanter single malt whisky priced at 9 million won, the company said.
By Jo He-rim (
herim@heraldcorp.com)
