Taiwan FamilyMart Co., one of the major convenience store chains in Taiwan, announced on Monday that the price of tea eggs sold at its stores will increase from NT$10 to NT$13 (US$0.42) from Dec. 28 amid mounting inflationary pressure.

In a statement, FamilyMart said the price hike, the first for cooked eggs since 2015, reflects the continuously rising price of eggs which has increased nearly 40 percent over the past six months.

Tea eggs, which are eggs cooked in tea and soy sauce, are a popular and unique staple item at convenience stores across Taiwan.

At the same time, the price of spicy hot eggs produced by Tripodking Inc. which are sold only at certain outlets will increase by NT$2 to NT$20, the statement said.

To thank customers for their long-term support, a special promotion will be held from Dec. 28 to Feb.7, during which customers who pay an additional NT$1 for designated drinks will receive a free tea egg, the company said.

During the same period, customers will also be able to use the FamilyMart app to buy 10 tea eggs for NT$100, while two Tripodking spicy hot eggs will sell for NT$36, according to the statement.

The largest convenience store chain 7-Eleven said later on Monday that it has no plans to increase the price of tea eggs, while two other smaller convenience store chains — Hi-Life International Co., Ltd. and OKmart — said they are still monitoring egg price fluctuations and assessing market changes.

Hi-Life noted that customers with the Hi-Life VIP app can buy 30 tea eggs for NT$280, a 7 percent discount from the original price of NT$300, effective immediately through Jan. 10, the retailer said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel