Following Yeoh Kyungrae and Choi Hyunseok, Austin Kang Joins... Emart24 Expands "Chef's Kick" Lineup

Emart24 Expands Ready-to-Eat Meal Lineup
with Chef Collaborations and Trendy IP Partnerships

Emart24 is targeting the ready-to-eat meal market by leveraging intellectual property (IP) from renowned chefs, girl groups, musicals, and games.

First, Emart24 has introduced the "Chef's Kick" lineup in collaboration with famous chefs. Chef's Kick is a private label (PL) developed by Emart24 together with well-known chefs. The key feature is that the products incorporate the chefs' expertise and secret techniques ("kick"). Last month, Emart24 launched ready-to-eat meals in partnership with chefs Yeoh Kyungrae, who specializes in Chinese cuisine, and Choi Hyunseok, who is known for Western cuisine.

This month, Emart24 collaborated with fusion Korean chef Austin Kang. The products created in partnership with chef Austin Kang include three types of fusion Korean ready-to-eat meals: "God Jangajji Dongchimi Noodles," "Jangajji Soy Sauce Bibimbap," and "Topping Yubu Sushi." Special "kick" points such as chef Austin Kang's recommended vegetables and soy sauce seasoning have been incorporated, and the products are available at an affordable price range of 3,000 to 4,000 won.

Emart24 expects that the collaboration products with chef Austin Kang will also gain popularity, as previous collaboration products have been well received by customers. Chef Choi Hyunseok's "Pumpkin Cream Gnocchi" ranked second in the cooked noodle category just three weeks after launch, while chef Yeoh Kyungrae's "Kkanpunggi & Kkanpung Dumplings" ranked third in the snack and appetizer category.

The reason Emart24 continues to collaborate with chefs is to strengthen the differentiation of convenience store ready-to-eat meals. The company aims to provide customers with unique gourmet experiences by using ingredients recommended by chefs and incorporating their signature sauces.

In addition, Emart24 is introducing products that reflect current trends by utilizing various IPs favored by younger customers. Recently, Emart24 launched collaboration products using the IP of popular girl group STAYC and the game "Battlegrounds," which have gained significant popularity. For some Battlegrounds collaboration products, the in-game items distributed on a first-come, first-served basis were all claimed within about 10 days of launch.

This month, Emart24 became the first in the industry to introduce products utilizing musical IP. The company launched eight ready-to-eat meal products inspired by the musical "Phantom," incorporating its storylines and backgrounds into the meals.