[From the Scene] ‘We understand, but it’s life or death for us’

The owner of a 24-hour eatery in Mapo, Seoul, sat hopelessly in her near-empty kimchi stew restaurant, which on other days had bustled with customers around the clock. Lee, 50, said the “Level 2.5” social distancing rules had cut the number of customers in half, one day after they were imposed to curb a spike in COVID-19 infections. This includes a weeklong ban on food and drink consumption inside large chain cafes in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province and the forced closing of restaurant

Aug. 31, 2020

Binggrae’s wellness-focused yogurt products gain popularity

Wellness-focused yougurt products by Binggrae are gaining popularity recently, amid rising demand from health-conscious consumers, according to the company on Sunday. Dairy food company Binggrae has introduced several yogurt brands to the Korean market, contributing to growing the market. Its flagship yogurt product Yoplait topped the local market in sales last year, selling about 360 million units and recording some 140 billion won ($119 million) in sales. Alongside the prominent Yopla

Aug. 30, 2020

Retail sales up 4.4% in July on online sales of groceries amid pandemic

Retail sales in South Korea advanced 4.4 percent in July from a year earlier as online platforms have enjoyed a spike in demand for groceries and home appliances amid the new coronavirus pandemic, data showed Sunday. The combined sales of 26 major offline and online retailers reached 11.46 trillion won ($9.67 billion) last month, up from 10.98 trillion won a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Online platforms led the growth, with their

Aug. 30, 2020

Ikea, Lego Group team up to roll out Bygglek series

Global furnishing company Ikea and Lego Group on Friday introduced a new collaboration project Bygglek, which combines the concept of play and storage. The two companies said they have teamed up to develop a solution to facilitate playing with the lego bricks at home while lessening the burden of cleaning up and organizing. Bygglek is a box-shaped storage closet with the lego studs, allowing children to play, exhibit their work inside, and also store them after playing, Ikea explained. &l

Aug. 28, 2020

Coupang trials buy-now, pay-later service

E-commerce giant Coupang is trialing a buy-now, pay-later service. The new service is applied to products directly bought from and sold by Coupang, which are available for its next-day delivery service, Rocket Delivery, according to one official at the company, allowing users to purchase items on credit until the 15th of the following month. Up to 300,000 won ($253) in shopping items can be paid for later through the new service. It is currently being tested with a select few users, while an

Aug. 28, 2020

Amorepacific publishes clinical study on blue light skin protection

In a world first, beauty and cosmetics conglomerate Amorepacific has developed a clinical evaluation method for blue light, the company said Thursday. The study by the firm’s research body, the Anti-Pollution Research Center, discovered that blue light -- high-energy light in the blue band with a wavelength between 380 and 500 nanometers in the visible spectrum -- can cause skin pigmentation at the point of 456 nanometers. After developing a clinical device that emits blue light, resear

Aug. 27, 2020

Ikea’s sales in Korea grows 32.6% despite COVID-19

Ikea Korea said Tuesday it saw sales grow by over 30 percent in the fiscal year of 2020 following increased interest in home furnishing amid COVID-19. Holding an online press conference via Zoom, Ikea Korea Country Retail Manager Fredrik Johansson revealed that the home furnishing retailer recorded a turnover of 663.4 billion won in the fiscal year of 2020 (from September 2019 to August 2020), growing 32.6 percent on-year. During the period, the number of visitors to Ikea also increased. Th

Aug. 25, 2020

Galleria Gwanggyo unveils Maarten Baas’s new artwork

Upscale department store chain Galleria recently unveiled Dutch artist Maarten Baas’ new artwork “Confetti Clock” at its Gwanggyo branch. The artwork features a man sweeping colorful confetti off the floor in a clockwise motion, living up to the “party” theme while showing shoppers what time it is. Baas explained that his new work was inspired by the impression he received from the venue, comparing the feel-good image of the department store to a party, Hanwha Gal

Aug. 25, 2020

Cafe24 to host event featuring Facebook experts to share global marketing strategies

E-commerce platform Cafe24 will hold a webinar featuring Facebook officials to share marketing strategies for the social media platform on Sept. 1. During the “Successful E-commerce Strategies on Facebook” event, key speakers Nadia Tan, APAC Marketing Partnership Director, and Philip Hur, APAC Head of Partnerships, will share strategies for online merchants to maximize their sales growth on Facebook, while Cafe24’s experts are presenting best practice cases in marketing strate

Aug. 25, 2020

JTI Korea introduces same-day delivery service for Ploom Tech

JTI Korea is introducing a same-day delivery service for its tobacco-infused vapor device Ploom Tech, via Naver Shopping, the company said Monday. Implementing the new service in Seoul first, the company said all orders made before 9 a.m. on Naver Shopping, an e-commerce platform, will be delivered on the same day. The company is an official retailer of Ploom Tech on Naver Shopping‘s smart store, and all users verified to be over 19 can make purchases on the platform, JTI Korea explain

Aug. 24, 2020

Shinsegae Food pours W9.8b into US factory to expand ready-meal provision

Shinsegae Food, the food arm of retail giant Shinsegae Group, said Sunday it is injecting 9.8 billion won ($8.23 million) into its US-based food manufacturing facility as it seeks to bolster the ready-made food business in the market. According to the company, it is plowing funds to Chang Tuh Corporation, the operator of a manufacturing plant for ready-made products in the US. Shinsegae Food acquired Chang Tuh Corp. for 12.1 billion won last year from Emart, a hyper mart giant under Shinseg

Aug. 23, 2020

Instant noodle market marks record-high sales of W1.13tr in H1

The instant noodle market recorded all-time high sales of 1.13 trillion won ($952.2 million) in the first half of this year, largely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Thursday. Releasing the data from Nielsen Korea, Nongshim, a South Korean food company, said the industry grew 7.2 percent from the same period last year, with its highest-ever semiannual sales. According to the data, sales of instant noodles in the first half of 2019 amounted to 1.05 trillion won, and annual sales

Aug. 20, 2020

McDonald’s Korea to hire more people with severe disabilities

McDonald’s Korea said Wednesday that it will hire more staff with severe disabilities during the third quarter of this year. A total of 15 new staff members with disabilities have been hired since the third quarter began, and the company plans to hire an additional 15 by September. The fast food chain also said it would continue to provide stability and a positive corporate culture for staff with disabilities. “My colleagues are very considerate when I fall ill despite my will, wh

Aug. 19, 2020

Food companies see massive growth in wake of COVID-19

South Korean food companies scored massive sales growth in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the demands increased for products that can be consumed at homes, in both domestic and overseas markets. In the second quarter this year, CJ CheilJedang recorded an operating profit of 384.9 billion won, up 119.5 percent from the same time last year. The figure is the biggest quarterly figure recorded for the company. Its sales stood at 6.92 trillion won, increasing by 7.4 percent on-year, with th

Aug. 19, 2020

Hyundai Department Store acquires SK Bioland for beauty biz

Hyundai Department Store Group decided Tuesday to acquire SK Bioland, a cosmetics firm under SK Group, expanding its beauty and health care business. According to the group, its affiliate Hyundai HCN, a cable channel provider, held a board meeting to decide on purchasing 29.7 percent of SK Bioland’s share with 120.5 billion won ($101.7 million). “We made the final decision for acquisition, finding that SK Bioland’s major businesses have a high potential for growth and has

Aug. 18, 2020

Baemin introduces first outdoor delivery robot in apartment complex

Baemin, or Baedal Minjok, the country’s No. 1 delivery app by market share, said Tuesday that it has started operating the country’s first outdoor delivery robot, which delivers food from a restaurant to an apartment building. According to Woowa Brothers, the delivery app operator, it is now using five Dilly Drives, its outdoor autonomous delivery robot, at Alleyway Gwanggyo, a residential and commercial complex located in Gwanggyo, Gyeonggi Province. Residents of the 1,100 hous

Aug. 18, 2020

Delivery workers on ‘refresh holiday’ for first time in 28 years

Delivery workers at major logistics firms took a day off Friday, for the first time in 28 years since the introduction of a delivery system in the country. The companies have designated Aug. 14 as “Delivery worker’s refresh day,” amid surging workload in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. CJ Logistics, Hanjin, Lotte and Logen -- four major logistics companies here -- decided last month to give their delivery staff a day off, after they accepted the demand of two labor unions of

Aug. 14, 2020

Starbucks Korea donates W200m to commemorate independence patriots

Starbucks Korea said Thursday it has donated 200 million won ($168,900) to support preservation of independence cultural heritage and provide scholarships to the descendants of independence patriots. As Saturday marks the country’s National Liberation Day, the coffee chain said it held a ceremony Thursday to deliver 100 million won to Cultural Heritage Administration and the National Trust for Cultural Heritage. The funds will be used to purchase and preserve cultural heritage artifact

Aug. 13, 2020

McDonald’s Korea, Uniqlo support flood recovery efforts

Foreign brands operating in South Korea are lending a helping hand to recovery efforts during the record-breaking monsoon season. McDonald’s Korea said Wednesday it will donate burgers and drinks for 5,000 volunteers and soldiers who are working to combat the flood damage in provinces hit hardest by the heavy downpours. The burger chain will distribute Big Mac burgers and drinks for those helping recovery efforts in seven regions including Cheorwon and Chuncheon in Gangwon Province, Ch

Aug. 12, 2020

[Eye on Business] How Cleanwrap became a household name

Although indispensable in many peoples’ everyday lives, it is uncommon for a plastic bag producer to receive a nationwide attention. But when the country geared up for a national general election in April, Cleanwrap, a leading food packaging company, came into the spotlight as it supplied tens of millions of sanitary gloves to help execute the world’s first legislative election in the coronavirus era possible. To assist in the government’s strict prevention efforts, Cleanwra

Aug. 10, 2020