Dietary Habits Changed Due to COVID-19... Instant Rice and Grill Pan Sales Increase↑

Shopping Trends Changed by COVID-19

Preference for Home-Cooked Meals Over Dining Out

"Let's Grill at Home" - Increase in Sales of Grill Pans

Instant Rice Gaining Popularity Over Steamed Rice

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, consumers' eating habits are also changing. The so-called ‘Homebap (Home+bap)’ culture, where people cook and eat conveniently at home, has taken root, leading to increased sales of instant rice, ramen, and other convenience foods. Along with a growing reluctance to dine out, there is a trend of grilling meat at home.

As more consumers want to grill meat in their living rooms despite the challenges of oil splatter and lingering odors that made grilling at home difficult, sales of grill pans, commonly called ‘gogi-bulpan’ (meat grill pans), are also on the rise.

According to Homeplus on the 1st, sales of grill pans at Homeplus from the 13th to the 27th of last month increased by 37% compared to the same period last year. Even compared to the previous month’s period, which saw high sales due to the Lunar New Year holiday, there was a significant growth rate of 23.6%. Sales of portable gas stoves, which are used together with grill pans for grilling, also grew by 8% year-on-year, riding this trend.

Park Hye-young, a buyer for the Homeplus Home Living Team, explained, "The spread of the ‘Homebap’ culture due to the COVID-19 outbreak, along with the recent trend of increased induction stove use, led us to develop new induction sets and induction-compatible grill pans that can be used indoors without burden, which is a major factor in the sales increase." She added, "We plan to organize promotional events by planning products that combine grill pans and gas stove sets in the future."

As demand for consumers grilling meat at home rises, Homeplus is offering a 30% discount on all Nonghyup Ansim Hanwoo (safe Korean beef) products to My Homeplus members until the 4th. The Dahyang Smoked Duck pack and Jeongdaun Smoked Duck pack are each sold for 9,990 won. Three types of grilling mushrooms?root-trimmed king oyster mushrooms, Mushmaru mushrooms, and button mushrooms?are offered at 2,490 won each (regular price 3,490 won) when paid with event cards. Additionally, leafy vegetables for wraps such as Cheongyang chili peppers, long green peppers, peeled garlic, chicory, and red mustard are sold at a uniform price of 1,500 won.

Furthermore, Homeplus is supplying large quantities of ‘gonggibap’ (steamed rice in a bowl), which pairs well with meat, to make it easy to put on the table. Instant rice, which saw about a 46% sales increase compared to the previous year over the past month, is secured in large quantities and offered at affordable prices.

Until the 25th, 120,000 boxes of CJ Hetbahn value products are available at 11,980 won per box. CJ Hetbahn black rice and CJ Hetbahn daily mixed grain rice are stocked with 80,000 boxes each and sold at 12,980 won per box.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.