[Edaily Reporter Kyung Gye-young] GS25, the convenience store chain operated by #GS Retail, announced on the 14th that it is launching its full lineup of seasonal health food products ahead of the summer Boknal.

With the heat arriving early and demand for convenient health-boosting meals on the rise, GS25 has moved up the launch of its health-boosting product lineup by about a month compared to previous years, starting from the first day of the summer heatwave (July 15).

This year’s lineup of health-boosting foods has expanded beyond samgyetang to include △eel rice bowls △whole grilled chicken △beef tendon soup △galbitang (beef short rib soup) △spicy chicken stew, among others. Looking at GS25’s sales of summer tonic foods during the Boknal period last year, the share of items other than samgyetang reached 61.2%—a 29.3 percentage point increase from two years ago—as demand for convenience store tonic foods has expanded beyond samgyetang to include other menu items.

This year, GS25 has launched “Whole Freshwater Eel Rice Bowl” and “Oven-Roasted Whole Chicken” as its flagship products. The Whole Freshwater Eel Rice Bowl enhances its distinctive flavor and moist texture by repeating a process three times: steaming the eel, marinating it, and then grilling it. The "Whole Oven-Roasted Chicken" is prepared in an oven to reduce fat content and is served with glutinous rice, honey mustard, and salt.

Prices are set below 10,000 won, with the eel rice bowl at 8,900 won and the whole chicken at 9,900 won. "Yours Harim Samgyetang," a traditional health tonic, will offer a "buy one, get one free" promotion starting next month to reduce the burden on consumers.

Meanwhile, GS Shop, the home shopping channel operated by GS Retail, will sell “Jeonggwanjang Red Ginseng,” a leading health supplement, on TV. On the 17th, it will introduce “Jeonggwanjang Red Ginseng Heaven” in pouch form, and on the 24th, “Hongsamjeong Mild Sense” in stick form.

The supermarket chain GS The Fresh plans to roll out discount promotions sequentially on popular nourishing ingredients such as Hanwoo beef, fresh chicken, and abalone, as well as seasonal fruits including watermelon.

Lee Do-hyun, a Merchandising Director (MD) for the Refrigerated and Frozen Foods Team at GS Retail, stated, “We have strengthened our product lineup to reflect the consumer trend where demand for health foods is expanding from samgyetang to a variety of menus, such as eel and chicken,” adding He added, “We brought forward the launch of these health foods and focused on reducing the burden on customers’ shopping budgets by setting prices for key items under 10,000 won, taking into account high inflation and other factors so that customers can enjoy these foods without financial strain.”