"Promoting SME Products in Paris"... Lotte to Hold "Korea Brand Expo"

Product Exhibitions and Export-Import Consultation Sessions Held

Lotte will hold the Lotte-Korea Brand Expo for two days from the 12th to the 13th, conducting export and import consultations for outstanding domestic small and medium-sized enterprises. Photo by Lotte.

Lotte announced on May 8 that it will hold the "Lotte-Korea Brand Expo" in Paris, France, for two days from the 12th to the 13th of this month.

The Brand Expo is a program jointly organized by Lotte, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), and the Foundation for Large, Small & Medium Business, Agriculture and Fisheries Cooperation to support outstanding domestic small and medium-sized enterprises in expanding overseas. The event provides support for product exhibitions and export and import consultations at overseas locations. Lotte affiliates, including Lotte Homeshopping, Lotte Mart, and Lotte Department Store, participate to promote products from domestic partner companies abroad and introduce outstanding overseas products to the domestic market, serving as a bridge between Korean and global consumer markets.

The first event was held in Taiwan in 2016, and since then, it has supported domestic small and medium-sized enterprises in entering 17 countries, including the United States, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Mexico. Up to last year, a total of about 1,460 small and medium-sized enterprises participated, conducting approximately 10,000 consultations, with total consultation results reaching $1.09 billion (about KRW 1.6 trillion).

This year's Brand Expo in Paris, France, will feature 50 outstanding domestic small and medium-sized enterprises aiming to enter the European market. Companies from a wide range of sectors, including beauty, food, fashion, and lifestyle, will demonstrate and exhibit their products. Strong interest and positive responses are expected from local distributors, who have shown growing enthusiasm for K-brands.

Buyers from distribution companies in 13 European countries, including France, Germany, and Spain, will participate in the export consultation sessions. Domestic small and medium-sized enterprises selected through prior demand surveys will hold consultations with local distributors, discussing know-how for entering the European market and strategies for localizing their products.

Buyers from five Lotte affiliates, including Lotte Homeshopping, Lotte Department Store, and Lotte Wellfood, will participate in import consultation sessions to support French companies seeking to enter the Korean market. Lotte Homeshopping will also conduct live commerce sessions locally in France from the 9th to the 12th, introducing products that received positive responses at the Brand Expo, as well as outstanding French products, to Korean customers.

Prior to the main event, domestic small and medium-sized enterprises participated in the "Paris, France Comprehensive Exhibition," which has been held from April 30 to May 11. The exhibition booths were organized mainly around products from companies participating in the Brand Expo, with both promotional and sales activities conducted to practically verify the marketability of each product. The comprehensive exhibition is the largest of its kind in Europe, with a tradition spanning over 120 years. It serves as a venue for showcasing and exchanging a wide variety of products, including beauty, food, and home appliances, from around the world. This year, 1,200 companies from 40 countries are participating, and more than 400,000 visitors are expected to attend.

A Lotte representative stated, "As a representative co-prosperity program led by the group, we are helping outstanding domestic small and medium-sized enterprises that face difficulties in independently entering overseas markets to open doors to the global market," adding, "We will continue our efforts to provide practical support to small and medium-sized enterprises and lay the groundwork for mutual growth moving forward."