HLB Global Sales Up 61% with Spaal Operation
Increased Sales of Small Massagers Due to Growing Single-Person Households
The popularity of compact massagers is soaring. The rapidly increasing number of single-person households is more interested in compact massagers than large massagers, which are bulky and relatively expensive.
According to the quarterly report of HLB Global, which operates the massager brand 'Spaal,' sales in the first quarter of this year reached 29.3 billion KRW, an increase of about 61% compared to the same period last year. Operating profit during the same period turned positive at 1.69 billion KRW. Spaal, which accounts for 41% of HLB Global's total sales, led the first-quarter performance.
Spaal is a portable massager brand launched in January last year. It offers devices specialized for massaging the calves, neck, and shoulders. In particular, Spaal is famous as the massager endorsed by singer Kwon Eunbi. In December last year, Spaal aggressively marketed on social networking services (SNS) with Kwon Eunbi at the forefront, driving a sharp increase in sales.
The first product introduced by Spaal, the 'Portable Calf Massager,' recorded cumulative sales of 250,000 units, and the recently launched 'Portable Neck and Shoulder Massager' surpassed 200,000 units sold in a short period. The 'Portable Neck and Shoulder Massager' sold out its initial 50,000 units within three days of launch, pushing the total cumulative sales of all massagers beyond 500,000 units.
The popularity of compact massagers is largely influenced by the increase in single-person households. In 2019, there were 6.14 million single-person households, which jumped to 7.5 million in 2022. The proportion of single-person households among all households is also increasing annually, reaching 34.5%.
An industry insider explained, "Single-person households tend to have relatively small living spaces, making it difficult to place large massagers. Demand for compact massagers is rising not only among younger generations but also among middle-aged and older single-person households."
Pulio, established in 2022, is also enjoying the popularity of compact massagers. Pulio, whose main product is the calf massager, exceeded 20 billion KRW in annual sales last year. The newly launched 'Calf Massager V3' achieved cumulative sales of 6.2 billion KRW within a week of its release.
Due to this popularity, companies that previously focused on large massagers have also started launching compact massagers.
Cosima is the most active company in launching compact massagers among those selling massage chairs. It has released over 40 types of compact massagers, including neck and shoulder massagers, low-frequency massagers, and eye massagers. Last year, the sales proportion of compact massagers increased by 10% compared to the previous year. Recently, it has expanded offline experiential stores nationwide, showcasing various compact massagers on-site.
Cuckoo, mainly known for rice cookers, launched the 'ReNature Calf and Foot Massager' in October last year. This is Cuckoo's first compact massager release. Bodyfriend is also steadily investing in compact massagers such as neck and shoulder massagers and mini guns.
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