As consumers are reluctant to go out, bulk products or non-perishable items are becoming popular. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — With the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, sales of food for home cooking are on the rise at large discount stores.
As consumers are reluctant to go out, bulk products or non-perishable items are becoming popular.
E-Mart Inc., the country’s leading discount chain operator, compared its sales between January 28 and February 3 to the same period since last year’s Lunar New Year holiday (February 8 to 14, 2019).
The data showed that sales of 20 kilogram bags of rice, which have dropped in popularity in recent years in favor of smaller bags, actually increased by 15.3 percent on-year during the period.
E-Mart also noted a 76.2 percent increase in sales of packages of 30 eggs, while citrus fruits saw a 16 percent increase in sales, with larger-quantity products better off.
Consumers also focused on buying instant noodles (29.2 percent), canned tuna (24.3 percent), and bottled water (25.4 percent), all of which can be stored for a long period of time.
With more people eating home meals instead of eating out, sales of pork belly increased by 20 percent, Korean beef by 17.7 percent, and sirloin steak by 26 percent.
Sales of shiitake mushrooms (20 percent), cabbage (91.7 percent), green onions (78.9 percent), and kimchi (30.5 percent) and side dishes (17.6 percent) have also increased.
The same was true of sauces, desserts and alcoholic beverages, as well as snacks served with alcoholic beverages.
Balsamic salad dressings saw sales rise 23.7 percent, red pepper paste and soybean paste 15 percent, while blueberries sold 55.9 percent better and imported mangoes 130 percent better.
In this context, sales of alcoholic beverages, which generally decline shortly after the holiday, bucked the trend and continued to increase after the holiday was finished.
With the “Drinking Alone at Home” trend growing, beer sales rose 8.6 percent on-year, compared to 13.7 percent for soju and 21.9 percent for wine.
“It is believed that sales of food products have increased as more people eat meals at home with family members rather than eating out, and drink alone rather than dining out,” an E-Mart official said.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
