With the Spread of Home-Cooked Meal Culture... Emart's 'Dakgangjeong' Sells 2 Tons in One Week

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Emart's unique dishes introduced at the ready-to-eat cooking corner are gaining popularity.

Emart announced on the 23rd that the two types of Dakgangjeong, ‘Jinmichae Dakgangjeong’ and ‘Spicy Anchovy Dakgangjeong,’ launched on the 13th, have sold over 2 tons by weight within just one week of release.

Jinmichae Dakgangjeong and Spicy Anchovy Dakgangjeong are gaining popularity as chicken side dishes along with the trend of ‘chibap (chicken + rice).’ This has even created a new term called ‘side dish chicken.’

The five types of California rolls released on February 1st are also popular. Emart launched five varieties of California rolls: 'Crab Stick Roll,' 'Taco Avocado Roll,' 'Tuna Roll,' 'Salmon Roll,' and 'Spicy Chicken Sauce Pork Cutlet Roll.'

Among these, the ‘Spicy Chicken Sauce Pork Cutlet Roll’ and ‘Taco Avocado Roll’ are especially popular. The ‘Spicy Chicken Sauce Pork Cutlet Roll’ targets young consumers who enjoy strong spicy flavors by adding spicy chicken sauce to a roll containing pork cutlet. The ‘Taco Avocado Roll’ attracted customer response with its unique recipe combining avocado and nacho powder.

The five types of California rolls proved their popularity by selling over 220,000 units within 20 days of release (February 1?20). This means more than 10,000 California rolls are sold daily.

Emart explained, "There is a saying that ‘ready-to-eat products must survive for six months after launch’ because it is difficult for new products to succeed," adding, "The new products launched in February have broken existing notions and gained great popularity as unique foods."

The reason Emart introduced these unique dishes is that more customers are seeking distinctive meals at home that rival dining out. In fact, the popularity of Emart’s ready-to-eat meals has significantly increased compared to last year.

Analyzing sales at Emart’s ready-to-eat cooking corner from the 1st of last month to the 20th of this month, charcoal-grilled and barbecue items grew by about 13% compared to last year, fried Dakgangjeong items increased by 15%, and sushi sales also rose by about 10%.

Moon Yeji, Emart’s ready-to-eat buyer, said, “With the spread of home meal culture, we have launched various products so that customers can enjoy delicious and unique dishes at home,” adding, “We will continue to develop home meal dishes comparable to dining out through various attempts.”