Spam gift set again for Chuseok? Instead, buy a yacht from CU.

Industry

Published: 04 Sep. 2021, 07:00

Spam gift set again for Chuseok? Instead, buy a yacht from CU.

Yachts that can be bought at CU convenience stores for Chuseokt. [BGF RETAIL]

A two-carat diamond and yachts are just few of the luxury products being made available for Chuseok this year.

In an effort to boost sales, which have flagged during the pandemic, retailers are coming up with a wide range of gifts for the holiday, which falls on Sept. 20, Sept. 21 and Sept. 22.

CU convenience stores are selling six types of yachts from Hyundai Yachts that cost between 249 million won and 906 million won.

Prefab houses and long-term car leases from luxury automobile brands, including Mercedes-Benz and BMW, can also be bought from the stores, best known for lunch boxes and beer.

Five prefab house models are available and are priced between 13.5 million won and 19 million won.

A dog-training service package by Bodeum, run by a dog trainer Kang Hyung-wook, is sold for 4.99 million won.

The retailer is the middleman brokering the big-ticket deals between sellers and customers.

“We are offering a new channel to people who have thought of buying such luxury products but did not know how to purchase them,” said Kim Seong-mo, a spokesperson for BGF Retail, which runs CU.

So far, no deals have been cut for the luxury products sold through CU.

GS25 convenience stores are offering a 2.03 carat diamond priced at 38.3 million won. A smaller 1.23 carat rock is priced at 17.6 million won.

The diamonds are certified by the Gemological Institute of America.

Gold bars, gold coins and a premium wine set that costs 10 million won are several other premium products GS Retail is offering for the holiday.

“Popularity of gold has continued to rise, so we raised the number of gold products by six-fold compared to Chuseok last year,” said a spokesperson for GS Retail, which runs GS25.

GS Retail has not yet sold any diamonds, but sales of gold-related products jumped 2.5-fold so far this year compared to the same period last year.

Louis XIII the Mathusalem cognac available at Signiel Busan hotel [LOTTE HOTEL & RESORT]

Signiel Busan hotel, one of hotel brands run by Lotte Hotel & Resort, is selling Louis XIII the Mathusalem for 240 million won as a Chuseok gift.

The product is a six-liter crystal decanter of fine cognac.

Only one bottle is available.

No buyer has appeared yet.

Expensive gifts are appealing to sell from the company’s perspective because the price itself generates a buzz and helps raise its sales even if few of the products are actually sold.

BY JIN MIN-JI [jin.minji@joongang.co.kr]