Baseball fever fuels retail boom as brands partner with Korea Baseball Organization teams

People are making line in a convenience store.

(Image: 7-Eleven)

With professional baseball reaching new heights in popularity, the retail industry is tapping into the fandom, launching collaborative products with KBO teams to reinvigorate sales amid an ongoing consumption slowdown.

Last year, professional baseball drew a record 10 million spectators, a first for any domestic sport.

This year, the sport’s momentum continues, with 3 million spectators reached earlier than ever. Retailers, seizing on this fervor, are aligning with teams to attract customers through playful and fandom-driven merchandise.

Fashion platform Musinsa partnered with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to host a five-day ‘KBO Fan Festa’ pop-up store in Seoul’s Seongsu-dong last month.

The event, which drew over 14,000 visitors, showcased team merchandise and interactive games like pitching and base-stealing, appealing to both casual shoppers and diehard fans.

Among the most notable retail hits is Samlip’s ‘KBO Bread’, which sold 10 million units in just 41 days since its March 20 launch, a company record.

Its popularity mirrors the earlier success of Pokémon Bread, thanks to collectible ‘Tibuseals’ (stickers) of players that fans trade or use to create their fantasy lineups.

The Lotte Giants, though excluded from the KBO Bread lineup due to business competition with Samlip, have attracted separate retail collaborations.

Convenience store chain 7-Eleven introduced ‘Ma! Cheer’ products, including red bean buns, beer, and snacks branded with the team’s iconic slogan.

While some items launched nationwide, others, like ‘Ma! Beer’ and corn cones, were exclusive to the Busan and Gyeongnam regions and quickly sold out. New releases, such as seed hotteok-inspired bread, continue to roll out.

Lotte Shopping is also leveraging the team. Its e-commerce arm, Lotte On, signed a partnership with local company Hyungji Elite to develop Lotte Giants merchandise.

Since March, the official brand store has sold team uniforms, fan items, and everyday products.