Retail sector heats up ahead of kimjang season... demand for salted cabbage and packaged kimchi soars

[Financial News] With the main kimjang season approaching, retailers are moving to capture demand for related products. Large discount stores have increased the quantities available for advance reservations of salted cabbage and begun full-scale reservation sales, while e-commerce companies are expanding their packaged kimchi ranges to target consumers who would rather buy ready-made products than make kimchi themselves.
According to the retail industry on the 15th, Emart is taking advance reservations for salted cabbage from today through the 28th. It has prepared a total of 75,000 boxes for stores nationwide this year, 15,000 more than the 60,000 boxes offered for advance reservation last year. Once the first-round reservation allocation of 25,000 boxes is sold out, the second round will begin immediately.
emart everyday has also begun taking advance reservations for salted cabbage. Separately from Emart, it has prepared at least 80,000 boxes. Reservations will be accepted through the 28th via its dedicated app, Emile (emile).
After taking first-round advance reservations for salted cabbage from the 1st through the 7th, Lotte Mart and Lotte Super completed the second round by the previous day and are now taking reservations for the third round. This year, they secured supplies in advance from major growing regions such as Pyeongchang, Goesan and Haenam, preparing a total of 75,000 boxes for the first round alone—20% more than last year. All of that allocation sold out on the 6th, just five days after reservations opened.
As kimjang season approaches, sales of salted cabbage through advance reservations are also on the rise. From the 1st to the 13th of this month, sales of salted cabbage booked in advance at Lotte Mart and Lotte Super increased 15% from the same period a year earlier. Lotte Mart and Lotte Super plan to continue taking reservations week by week through December 15, as supplies become available.
While demand for salted cabbage remains strong, particularly among consumers planning to make kimchi themselves, more consumers are buying ready-made kimchi instead, amid an increase in one- and two-person households and other factors. In response, e-commerce companies are expanding their packaged kimchi ranges to capture this demand.
As demand for packaged kimchi has grown, Kurly Inc. expanded its packaged kimchi selection by 28% over the past three months (July to September) compared with the same period last year. The transaction value of packaged kimchi also rose 35% over the same period. Its private-label products are continuing to grow as well. As of last month, the transaction value of whole-cabbage kimchi and chonggak radish kimchi under “Jeil Matge Kurly,” launched jointly by Kurly Inc. and CJ CheilJedang last September, was up 56% from the early days after launch.
Kurly Inc. plans to hold a kimjang promotion for a month starting at the end of this month in response to this demand. In particular, reflecting the growing trend of consumers seeking smaller portions of kimchi, it plans to expand its product lineup by adding new brands, including Sanhowon Kimchi, Haedamchon Kimchi and Dongwon Yangban Kimchi.
A variety of packaged kimchi products are also popular on SSG.COM, from whole-cabbage kimchi to chonggak radish kimchi and young radish kimchi. From the 1st to the 13th of this month, sales of whole-cabbage kimchi on SSG.COM rose 25% from the same period last year. Over the same period, sales of chonggak and young radish kimchi increased 33%, while sales of water kimchi and other specialty kimchi rose 20% and 15%, respectively, according to the figures.
An SSG.COM representative said, “Demand for convenient ways to prepare kimchi is driving increased sales of packaged kimchi and easy-to-prepare kimjang ingredients,” adding, “Taking into account kimjang demand from smaller households, SSG.COM plans to offer smaller-quantity ingredients as well, such as around 5 kg of salted cabbage and small packs of garlic.”
[email protected] Jang Yu-ha Reporter