Spicy noodles gain sharp sales increases

In the ramen (instant noodle) market, Samyang`s "Hot Stirred Fried Chicken Noodle" is gaining huge popularity nowadays.

The product saw sales rise 64.8 percent year-on-year last year, according to data of 113 stores nationwide that was released by Lotte Mart on Tuesday. With the biggest increase among the top 15 ramens in terms of sales, its share also rose by 1.3 percentage points from 1.5 percent to 2.9 percent in total ramen sales. The sales increase of Samyang`s "Hot Stirred Fried Chicken Noodle" came amid a decrease of 8.1 percent in sales of the ramen market last year. Nongshim`s "Shinramen," whose market share is No. 1, saw sales decline by 16 percent.

The popularity of Samyang`s ramen comes from its spiciness. People enjoy it in various ways, which also helps gain popularity: Consumers are eating it by putting cheese on top or enjoying them with kimbap.

The next ramens showing high sales growth were Ottogi`s" Jinramen hot" with a 36.6 percent growth and "Jinramen mild" with 24.7 percent growth. Even though Ottogi didn`t release a new version of Jinramen, the product saw sales increase. Industry sources attribute it to advertising effect of Dodgers starter Ryu Hyun-jin. Despite its decreased sales, Shinramen remained a No. 1 sales product.