"Lunchflation Hits Office Workers Packing Lunchboxes"... Lunchbox Container Sales Soar

Lock&Lock's 'Lunchbox Series' Hits Record Sales in June
April to June This Year... Accounts for 37% of Cumulative Sales Volume and 33% of Revenue
Komex's Lunchbox Containers Also See 20% Sales Increase from January to July Compared to Last Year
"A Rational Choice to Reduce Additional Spending in the High Inflation Era"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwak Minjae] Jeong Mo (30), an office worker living in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, eats a packed lunch from home every lunchtime. Even buying a bowl of gukbap, which is considered to have good "cost-effectiveness (price-performance ratio)," has become burdensome as it now costs nearly 10,000 won. Jeong said, "I save money and can also diet, so I eat lunch with my colleagues three times a week."

As dining-out prices continue to soar, sales of lunchbox-related products have also surged. It is analyzed that as more office workers feel the burden of rising lunch costs, purchases of related products have increased.

Lock&Lock DosiLock series.
Photo by Lock&Lock

Lock&Lock, a household goods company, recorded its highest sales in June for its ‘DosiLock (lunchbox) series’ containers launched last year. According to Lock&Lock on the 4th, sales volume and revenue from April to June this year accounted for 37% of the total cumulative sales volume and 33% of the total cumulative revenue of the lunchbox series. Although it has been over a year since its launch, sales have sharply increased in the last three months. A Lock&Lock official said, "As more office workers seek to reduce food expenses, the Lock&Lock lunchbox series is becoming the choice of rational consumers."

Kitchenware company Comex also announced that sales of its lunchbox container ‘NEW BioKeeps’ from January to July this year increased by 20% compared to the same period last year. A Comex official explained, "Consumers can choose sizes suitable for their lunchbox menus, and the modular system allows for efficient storage, making it easy to prepare several days’ worth of lunchboxes at once through meal prep and store them refrigerated. Recently, the number of consumers seeking this has increased significantly."

Professor Eunhee Lee of Inha University’s Department of Consumer Studies said, "Office workers choosing lunchboxes instead of dining out is a rational choice to reduce additional expenses caused by rising dining prices in this high-inflation era," adding, "With the recent increase in meal kit products making lunchbox preparation easier, and the growing number of MZ generation consumers choosing lunchboxes for reasons such as environment and dieting, consumption of related products is expected to continue."