Rising 1-2 Person Households... 'Sliced Fruit' Popular at Department Stores and Large Marts

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Recently, as the number of single-person and two-person households has increased, fruit products that can be conveniently eaten at department stores and large supermarkets are gaining popularity.

On the 15th, Lotte Department Store announced that the small-packaged fruit products from its main store's 'Hankki Bapsang' are sold at an average of over 200 units per day and have shown steady growth every year.

'Hankki Bapsang' is a corner where Lotte Department Store offers fresh foods such as Korean beef and fruits packaged in single meal portions, and Lotte Department Store is expanding the contents to include watermelon, melon, papaya, dragon fruit, and more.

Lotte Mart is also selling 'sliced watermelon' for single-person and two-person households who find it burdensome to purchase a whole watermelon. Lotte Mart's sliced watermelon uses a transparent container shaped like a watermelon, allowing internal inspection and making it easy to carry and store.

It is sold refrigerated, so it can be eaten immediately in a cool state, which is also an advantage. The selection has been expanded with various sizes such as 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 of a watermelon, and 400g packs, making it convenient to enjoy outdoors at summer vacation spots.

Lotte Mart also reported that sales of the 'Apple Watermelon,' a representative of small fruits, increased by more than 10% on average compared to the previous year last month.

Along with the Apple Watermelon, demand for the 'Black Boss Watermelon,' weighing around 3 to 4 kg, has recently increased. The Black Boss Watermelon has yellow flesh and is called the 'Mango Watermelon.'

Kim Chang-yong, head of Lotte Mart's product division, said, "Lotte Mart plans to focus on small watermelons and sliced watermelons this year," adding, "It is expected that these products will soon account for more than 30% of total watermelon sales."

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