Emart Releases 25,000 Snow Crabs, One Year's Supply

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Emart is securing a supply of snow crabs from the canceled 'East Coast Snow Crab Festival' due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and offering them at affordable prices.

Emart announced on the 9th that it will offer live Russian snow crabs (around 1.2 kg) at 3,800 KRW per 100g until the 12th. When converted to the price per crab, it is about 45,600 KRW, approximately 35% cheaper compared to previous selling prices.

For this event, Emart secured about 25,000 crabs, totaling 30 tons. Considering that Emart's snow crab sales last year were around 25 tons, this quantity far exceeds a year's worth of sales.

Anticipating high customer demand, Emart is also implementing a 'Zero Out-of-Stock Guarantee.' If customers cannot purchase snow crabs due to stockouts during the event period, they will receive a zero-stock coupon at the checkout, allowing them to repurchase at the event price within 10 days upon revisiting.

The reason Emart could secure such a large quantity of snow crabs is that importers of Russian snow crabs, who had pre-contracted supplies, lost their sales channels due to the successive cancellations of snow crab festivals. While the Uljin Snow Crab Festival was canceled during the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in 2011, this is the first time that all three East Coast snow crab festivals (Uljin, Yeongdeok, Guryongpo) have been canceled.

Meanwhile, Emart is offering a 25% discount on the Spanish sparkling wine Federico Cava package, which pairs well with snow crabs. Additionally, 'snow crab ramen' is prepared. When purchasing live snow crab and ramen (Nongshim Ansungtangmyun, Ottogi Jin Jjambbong) together, the ramen is sold at a 10% discount.

Kim Sangmin, Emart's crustacean buyer, said, "Due to COVID-19, snow crab consumption has decreased, but Emart urgently procured 25,000 crabs, far exceeding a year's sales volume," adding, "Through this event, customers will be able to enjoy seasonal live snow crabs at affordable prices."