Shark in the water, Jaws Bar in hand: Busan sighting boosts portside CU sales
Sales of ocean-themed snacks, as well as portable power banks, jumped around the waterfront as crowds flocked after the first sighting on Friday.
People gather to see a shark swimming in the waters off North Port Waterfront Park in Dong District, Busan, on Sept. 20.
YONHAP
A real shark has surfaced in Busan — and so has demand for its snack aisle counterparts, from Jaws Bars frozen treats to Goraebab snacks shaped like sea animals.
Sales of the shark-shaped ice cream at CU branches in Dong District, Busan, from Saturday to Monday — after the shark appeared — rose 28.4 percent compared to the same days a week earlier, convenience store operator BGF Retail said.
The surge comes after a shark, estimated to be about 3.5 meters (11 feet, 6 inches) long, was spotted in a channel at North Port Waterfront Park in Dong District on Friday. A shark believed to be the same one has remained there, drawing crowds hoping to catch a glimpse of it. The park drew four to five times its usual number of visitors over the weekend, the Busan city government said.
Sales of Goraebab — a salty snack shaped like sea animals including sharks, whales and crabs — at the CU branches rose 21.6 percent during the period, while Pinkfong's Baby Shark merchandise sales rose 33.3 percent.
The increases appear to be driven by shoppers associating the real-life shark with shark-themed products and characters.
Sales at a CU branch near North Port Waterfront Park surged beyond shark-themed products, with overall sales rising 48.6 percent during the same period.
As more visitors tried to capture the shark on camera, sales of portable power banks soared 815.5 percent at the branch. Toy sales jumped 422.7 percent, ready-to-eat hot food 166.2 percent, bottled water 55 percent, ice 46.3 percent and samgak gimbap (triangular rice rolls) 32.3 percent.
The shark effect was not limited to Busan.
At CU stores nationwide, Jaws Bar sales rose 12.5 percent during the same period, Goraebab sales increased 10.5 percent and Baby Shark merchandise sales rose 13.9 percent.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
