South Korea Convenience Store Stocks Surge on Heat Wave Demand, But Beverage Makers Struggle

According to Edaily, during a severe heat wave in South Korea on August 5-6 with temperatures near 40°C, convenience store stocks surged as cold beverage and ice cream sales jumped. BGF Retail rose 6.30% to 130,000 won, while GS Retail gained 6.05% to 26,300 won. Cooling appliance makers also benefited sharply, with Paseco climbing 23.1% and Winix rising 29.2% from July 29 to August 5.

Conversely, beverage and ice cream manufacturers stumbled despite seasonal tailwinds. Lotte Wellfood fell 0.7%, Lotte Chilsung Beverage dropped 0.4%, and Binggrae rose only 0.6%, as rising raw material and logistics costs offset sales growth. Analysts warned against blind seasonal-theme investing, emphasizing that stock fundamentals must underpin gains.