Emart Offers 20% Discount on Live Canadian 'Jumbo Lobster'

Air Transport of 2 Tons of Cargo ... 5,480 KRW per 100g

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Emart announced on the 3rd that it will sell large Canadian "Jumbo Lobsters," with an average weight of 1.6 to 2.4 kg per lobster, at 5,480 KRW per 100g until the 5th. This is a limited-time event that will end once the prepared 2 tons of stock are sold out.

Emart explained that they import live lobsters from Canada by air and, through pre-planning with one of the largest importers in Korea, reduce distribution stages to offer them at affordable prices.

The retail price for large jumbo lobsters recently has been around 65,000 to 70,000 KRW per kg, and even at lobster specialty restaurants, you have to pay over 200,000 KRW to taste them. Considering Emart’s existing lobster price of 7,480 KRW per 100g, this is about 25% cheaper.

The large jumbo lobsters being sold this time are a size rarely seen even overseas, about 4 to 5 times larger than the 450 to 500g size usually sold at large marts. These large lobsters, known for their tender meat, can be enjoyed with their unique flavor simply by steaming without any special preparation.

According to Emart, lobster sales at Emart have grown about 25.6% year-on-year through November this year, showing particularly high popularity for large lobsters. Especially, sales of jumbo lobsters over 1.6 kg increased by a whopping 1600% compared to the same period last year, and large lobsters over 900g more than doubled. The proportion of jumbo lobsters in total lobster sales also rose sharply, from only 1% during January to November last year to as much as 25% through November this year.

An Emart official explained, "Due to the decrease in dining out and increase in home dining caused by COVID-19, demand for new ingredients that people don’t usually eat often has increased. Also, this year, the supply shortage of crustaceans similar in size to jumbo lobsters, such as king crabs, caused prices to rise, leading to increased demand for relatively affordable jumbo lobsters."

In addition to jumbo lobsters, Emart will sell fresh cod (king/special/large) at 29,800 KRW, 19,800 KRW, and 15,800 KRW respectively until the 8th, and frozen bigeye tuna belly sashimi (360g/240g) at 23,800 KRW and 16,800 KRW. There is also a promotion where Namhaean fresh oysters (250g) are sold at a 30% discount for 6,980 KRW when Shinsegae points are accumulated, and Yeonggwang dried yellow corvina (10 pieces) is sold at a 50% discount for 14,900 KRW.