Shinsegae Food's Ready-to-Eat Samgyetang Popular
July Sales Up 270% Compared to Same Period Last Year
Ottogi, Pulmuone, and Ourhome Products Also Popular
High Satisfaction Due to Reasonable Price and Cooking Convenience
As the unprecedented heatwave with daytime highs exceeding 35 degrees Celsius continues, convenient health-boosting meals such as Samgyetang, Gomtang, and Chueotang, which are easily accessible at home, are gaining popularity. These meals not only help replenish energy and appetite exhausted by the heatwave but also enjoy a reflective benefit in the era of high prices, with sales increasing nearly fourfold due to their reasonable prices.
According to the distribution industry on the 12th, the sales volume of ready-to-eat Samgyetang from food brands Hotel Collection and Olban, operated by Shinsegae Food, rose 270% compared to the same period last year. Over the three months from May to July, sales exceeded 500,000 units, marking the highest record since these brands first introduced ready-to-eat Samgyetang in 2018.
Shinsegae Food analyzed that this is the result of the so-called 'home health-boosting' trend spreading, where people seek affordable health-boosting ready meals rather than dining out due to the heat and price burdens. Not only the room-temperature products that have led the Samgyetang ready meal market but also the rapidly growing frozen Samgyetang are being launched at levels comparable to specialty stores, increasing consumer satisfaction.
Ottogi also saw a 24% increase in sales of health-boosting home meal replacements (HMR), including the steady seller Old-fashioned Samgyetang, in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year. The Old-fashioned Samgyetang is completed by pouring the contents into a microwave-safe container, covering it, and heating it for 7 minutes 30 seconds to 8 minutes 30 seconds, reducing the hassle of long cooking times over a hot stove.
Ottogi additionally released Old-fashioned Nurungji Chicken Leg Samgyetang, which includes brown rice crust, and expanded its lineup with convenient health-boosting meals that recreate the flavors of regional representative soup dishes such as Naju-style Beef Gomtang and Jongno-style Ox Knee Soup.
Ready-to-eat Samgyetang sold by Olgahol Food, a subsidiary of Pulmuone, also saw an 88% increase in sales from June 6 to 15 last month at Lotte Department Store Olga outlets compared to the same period last year. Olga introduced a variety of menus under the concept of premium summer health-boosting meals using organic ingredients, ranging from ready-to-eat Samgyetang to Haesintang sets, Chueotang, Eel Soup, meat, and seafood broth health-boosting dishes.
In addition, Ourhome, a group meal service specialist, saw sales of four representative health-boosting ready meals (Goryeo Samgyetang, Goryeo Ban-gye-tang, Boneless Galbitang, and Rich Chueotang) sold on Ourhome Mall nearly double (92%) in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year. Among these products, the most popular Goryeo Samgyetang recorded sales from the 1st to the 14th of last month that increased more than threefold (205%) compared to the previous month.
An industry insider said, "In the case of Samgyetang, the price of ready-to-eat products is about 30-40% cheaper compared to dining at specialty restaurants," adding, "Health-boosting ready meals with taste and convenience are gaining attention as alternatives to dining out." According to the Korea Consumer Agency's price information portal 'Chamgagyeok,' the average price of a bowl of Samgyetang in Seoul last month surpassed 17,000 won for the first time, reaching 17,038 won. This is a 10.7% increase in two years since July 2022, when it first exceeded 15,000 won (15,385 won).
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