Department Stores See Strong Sales of Premium Meat Gift Sets
Large Discount Stores Popular for Practical Fruit Sets Under 50,000 Won
With the upcoming Chuseok holiday period extending up to 10 days next month, pre-orders for holiday gift sets offered through offline retail channels are seeing strong performance. Premium gifts priced close to 500,000 won are popular at department stores, while cost-effective sets under 50,000 won are in demand at large discount stores, clearly reflecting consumers' choices based on their budgets.
A model is introducing Chuseok gift sets at the food hall of Lotte Department Store Jamsil branch. Photo by Lotte Department Store
Premium Korean Beef Gaining Popularity at Department Stores
According to industry sources on September 13, Lotte Department Store has been accepting pre-orders for Chuseok gift sets at all branches since August 29, offering around 170 items at discounts of up to 50% off the regular price. As of September 11, sales had increased by 80% compared to the same period last Chuseok. By category, sales of traditional popular items such as meat, fruits, and seafood have roughly doubled year-on-year, while wine and grocery (food) products-recently gaining traction-have seen sales more than double.
Specifically, in the meat category, reflecting the trend favoring cuts for grilling, the "Lepicerie Royal Korean Beef Steak" set priced at 400,000 won and the "Lepicerie Special Korean Beef Roast" set at 316,000 won have been top sellers. In the fruit category, the "Arisu Apple and Golden Pear Three-Piece Set" (145,000 won), which is ideal for traditional ancestral rites, has received a positive response.
Shinsegae Department Store began pre-orders for over 300 items including fruit, meat, seafood, health foods, and wine on August 26. Over the 17 days through September 11, pre-orders rose by 80.9% compared to the same period last year. By category, wine jumped by 223.3%, seafood by 179.8%, meat by 109.7%, agricultural products by 105.6%, and health and tea by 20.7%.
A Shinsegae Department Store representative analyzed, "This year, Chuseok falls later in October than last year, so the holiday atmosphere formed early and there was advance demand," adding, "Premium gift sets exclusive to department stores are proving popular." In particular, grilling beef gift sets priced between 200,000 and 400,000 won were in high demand, with sales of grilling beef sets such as "Shinsegae Female Korean Beef Gourmet" nearly doubling compared to last Chuseok.
Hyundai Department Store has been accepting pre-orders for about 220 types of gift sets since August 27. Over the 16 days through September 11, sales increased by 44.1% year-on-year. By category, meat sales rose by 84.8% and fruit sales by 86.3%, driving the overall growth. The company reported that the "Hyundai Special Korean Beef Grilling Bamboo Set" (490,000 won), the "Hyundai Korean Beef Grilling Plum Set" (390,000 won), and the "Peak of Fruit Plum Set" (180,000 won) have all received strong responses.
Large Discount Stores: Practical Sets from Fruit to Socks
At large discount stores, pre-orders have shown a clear preference for practical value. E-Mart, which began pre-orders on August 18, saw sales increase by 12.5% compared to the same period last Chuseok as of September 10. By category, domestic fruit gift sets under 50,000 won-such as the "Famous Region Apple Set (3.6kg, 11 pieces)" priced at 49,800 won, the same as last year-rose by 54.8% year-on-year. Sales of "Sliced Fish Gift Sets," which include abalone gift sets, also increased by 53.3%. Meanwhile, sales of domestic meat gift sets priced over 200,000 won, introduced for price differentiation, rose by 25.3% year-on-year, highlighting a clear polarization in consumer choices. By price range, sales growth rates were 11.3% for sets under 50,000 won, 18.5% for sets between 50,000 and 100,000 won, and 18.9% for sets over 100,000 won.
Lotte Mart’s pre-order sales from August 14 to September 11 increased by about 5% compared to the same period last Chuseok. GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certified apples under 50,000 won ranked first in sales. In the nut gift set category, which saw sales rise by around 20%, the "Maeil Nuts Daily Handful 80 Packs (16g*80 packs)" priced at 29,900 won was among the top sellers.
Additionally, Homeplus, which ran pre-orders for nearly a month starting August 14, saw sales of fruit sets under 50,000 won increase by 128% year-on-year, while sales of relatively affordable beef jerky and dried persimmon rose by 56% and 40%, respectively. Notably, sales of ultra-value sock gift sets priced under 10,000 won increased by 35%.
An industry insider commented, "With Chuseok falling later than usual this year and the holiday period being longer, demand for early gift preparation has increased, resulting in faster sales than previous years. There is a clear polarization in consumer behavior, with growing interest in both reasonably priced practical gift sets and premium products that offer uniqueness and exclusivity."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
