Emart Accelerates 'Misikga' Renewal
6 Months of Persuasion for 'Longbread' Entry
Lotte Mart and Homeplus Also
Attract Famous Restaurants and Dessert Cafes
Transforming into a Stay Space Beyond Simple Dining
"Going to the supermarket for a trendy SNS-worthy restaurant date."
Large supermarkets are putting great effort into attracting popular restaurants. In an era of competition among distribution channels without boundaries between online and offline, combined with high inflation, they have determined that content that draws customers in is just as important as enhancing the variety of groceries. Major large supermarkets are even going to great lengths to secure popular eateries.
According to the distribution industry on the 21st, Emart will unveil renewed customer stay spaces called “Gourmet” at its Jinjeop branch on the 21st and Byeollae branch on the 28th, transforming existing food and beverage (F&B) stores.
Since 2020, Emart has been opening “Gourmet” food and beverage stores within its outlets, gathering verified popular restaurants and applying stylish interiors. Unlike in the past, where these spaces were just for quick meals after shopping, they are now being developed as places where customers can enjoy delicious food and relaxation. Starting with four Emart stores in 2020, a total of 18 stores have been renewed to date. With the addition of the Jinjeop and Byeollae branches, Emart will operate 20 Gourmet locations nationwide. Emart plans to accelerate renewals in the remaining half of the year.
Emart attracts “regionally optimized popular restaurants” by analyzing key customers and commercial districts for each store. Considering that the Jinjeop branch has a higher proportion of customers in their 40s with children compared to the Emart average, it introduced cost-effective dining options such as “SyongSyong Donkatsu” and “Sam Ajeossi Pasta.” The space was designed with private rooms for families with children. The Jukjeon branch, opened in April, features terrace-style interiors targeting gatherings of customers in their 50s.
They even go to great lengths to attract famous restaurants. It took more than six months just to persuade “Long Bread,” a popular brunch cafe from Seorae Village, and “Sosoheon,” a brand of the famous seaweed soup restaurant Pungwonjang from Haeundae, to open at the Jukjeon branch. Sales are also on the rise. The food and beverage stores at nine Emart branches renewed last year saw an average sales increase of 50% compared to the previous year. Emart stated, "We plan to increase customer inflow and secure customer stay time by adding food and beverage service competitiveness to our existing strength in grocery shopping."
On the 21st, customers are dining and relaxing at the gourmet section of Emart Jinjeop branch, which opened recently.
Lotte Mart is also focusing on attracting popular restaurants and dessert cafes. Last month, they newly opened “DeokDeokDeok Bakery,” a popular dessert spot from Hannam-dong, Seoul, at the Lotte Mall Suji branch, where the signature menu item “Cronut” sold over 1,000 units in a short time, gaining popularity. In addition, popular eateries and cafes such as “Mangwon-dong Tiramisu” at the Chuncheon branch, “Hong Kong Dabang” at the Ansan branch, and “Hanyang Chinese Cuisine” at the Jamsil Zetaflex branch have been opening one after another. Lotte Mart explained, "While traditional food courts in large supermarkets offered basic menus like Korean, Chinese, and Japanese cuisine, recently there have been more marketing and customer attraction cases through food and beverage corners, leading to various attempts. Lotte Mart is also building a ‘one-stop shopping environment’ where shopping, dining, and dessert can all be completed at once."
Homeplus is also attracting popular restaurants while renewing its in-house bakery “Montblancje” into a cafe format. An industry insider said, "The strongest customer attraction effect that large supermarkets can offer against online grocery shopping is the enhancement of experiential content that customers can directly come and enjoy. In this regard, the strategy to strengthen ‘popular restaurants’ accessible to all ages will continue in the future."
Last month, at 'Deokdeokdeok Bakery' located in Lotte Mart Lotte Suji Mall, customers and employees are discussing products.
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