Ice Instead of Formula: How Kazakhstan Is Testing a New Beverage Retail Format
The CU convenience store chain has introduced a South Korean-style beverage format in Kazakhstan featuring branded cups filled with ice, and the concept is already delivering strong commercial results.
The concept originated in South Korea, where CU operates more than 18,500 convenience stores. In Kazakhstan, the chain has already rolled out the format in 63 stores in Almaty, offering juices, lemonades, iced tea, coffee, and other beverages prepared by adding the drink to a branded cup pre-filled with ice.
According to Dmitry Dokin, during the summer season beverages served in ice-filled cups sell three times better than chilled juices and twice as well as hot coffee in the same stores. At the same time, the profit margin on selling ice exceeds even that of ice cream during the summer months.
To launch the new concept, the company developed its own production and packaging system for ice, including specially designed frost-resistant branded cups capable of withstanding mechanical stress. Today, the ice itself is also marketed under the retailer’s own brand.
According to conference participants, this format reflects changing consumer behavior. Rather than focusing solely on developing increasingly sophisticated functional beverages, manufacturers are searching for new consumption occasions that make products more convenient while adding value for consumers. Such innovations, they believe, could become one of the key drivers of modern retail development in the coming years.
