A Simple Meal Is Good, But a Fresh Meal Is Better

CooCat Market, Jamba Juice, and More: From Vegetables and Fruits to Meat

Cooking to Enhance the Flavor of Ingredients You Choose Yourself

Rapid Growth of the Grocerant Market Combining Grocery and Restaurant

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saehye] The grocerant market, a portmanteau of 'grocery' and 'restaurant,' is rapidly expanding. A new concept restaurant where millennials select their own ingredients and have their meals prepared is gaining popularity.

On the 6th, dining company CooCat announced the recent opening of a grocerant-concept CooCat Market premium store on the B1 floor of Starfield COEX Mall in Samseong-dong. CooCat operates Korea's largest food community 'What to Eat Today?', the global recipe video channel 'CooCat,' and the PB (private brand) specialized food mall 'CooCat Market.'

The CooCat Market Starfield COEX Mall branch spans approximately 110 pyeong (353㎡) and is divided into three sections: PB products, restaurant, and alcoholic beverages. The PB products section sells over 130 items across four categories: ready meals (HMR), dessert foods, diet & health foods, and CooCat goods.

In the restaurant section, 10 premium dining menus are offered at reasonable prices around 10,000 KRW (8,900 KRW to 11,900 KRW), prepared by Kim Mikyung, a nationally certified culinary technician of Korea, using CooCat PB products and content recipes. Menu items include soy sauce marinated shrimp rice bowl, MacDak Pane, galbi rice bowl, black glass noodle steamed chicken, and butter soy sauce braised egg rice bowl. In addition to the 68-seat restaurant, a microwave and self-service bar are set up in a corner of the PB product sales section, allowing customers to enjoy a simple meal using only CooCat HMR products.

SPC Group's Jamba Juice operates a 'comprehensive fruit grocerant market' at Lotte Department Store Incheon Terminal branch. Besides the main fruit and vegetable juice and smoothie menus, it sells general fruits, fruit skewers, salads, fruit gift boxes, fruit syrups, and fruit vinegars. Customers can select fruits to be cut or made into juice on the spot. The store also sells nuts such as almonds, cashews, and pistachios roasted on-site, as well as cereals, promoting a healthy lifestyle shop.

Angus Park Meat Factory, operating 13 stores nationwide, specializes in premium 'Black Angus.' Various HMR products made from Black Angus are available to suit different tastes. The 'Angus Park Lounge,' operated alongside the butcher shop, cooks steaks from meat selected by customers.

Cattle House, operated by livestock distribution specialist 'Cattle Farm,' is a premium meat shop where customers can use both a butcher shop and a restaurant. The first floor houses the butcher shop 'Cattle House,' and the second floor operates the steak restaurant 'Cattle Lounge,' allowing customers to purchase beef and dine in one place.

Among distribution companies, Lotte Mart is accelerating the expansion of its grocerant business. In March, Lotte Mart declared the evolution of its own grocerant by strengthening the development of home meal replacements and ready-to-eat foods, aiming for a 'complete replacement of home-cooked meals.'

Previously, the service involved grilling meat or steaming lobster, but now, to provide a simple meal that preserves the fresh taste of seasonal ingredients, eight seasonal ingredients are selected monthly and operated accordingly. Grocerant stores are currently operating in 10 locations, including Seocho and Yangpyeong branches, with plans to open 10 more by 2021.