Convenience stores look to cash in on World Baseball Classic-themed products

With the World Baseball Classic (WBC) kicking off for the first time in six years on Wednesday, convenience stores are looking to increase sales by pitching themed promotional events.

A customer picks up a beer can at a CU convenience store. [CU]

With the World Baseball Classic (WBC) kicking off for the first time in six years on Wednesday, convenience stores are looking to increase sales by pitching themed promotional events.

BGF Retail, which operates CU convenience stores, announced that seven kinds of cabernet sauvignon red wines, with labels featuring seven Major League Baseball teams, are being sold at CU stores as of Wednesday. Each of these wine bottles will be designed with the emblem of one of the seven teams — Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

The promotional red wines are being sold at a discounted price of 12,900 won ($9.8) throughout March and will be discounted additionally to 9,900 won from March 9 to March 15, when the Korean national baseball team has group stage games.

CU will also sell beer bundles that cost 2,000 won per can during the matchday period, down some 17 percent from the usual price.

7-Eleven is offering 20 percent discounts on buckets of fried chicken purchased with a Hana credit card or through the Yogiyo delivery app in March. Customers who make a purchase before March 21 will receive a free coke bottle.

The convenience store chain is also offering discounts of up to 36 percent on some of its beer products.

Korea's national baseball team is in Group B of this year's tournament. It plays Australia on Thursday, Japan on Friday, the Czech Republic on Sunday and China the following day.

BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]