Rice Is Also a Matter of Taste... Shinsegae Department Store's Rice Sales Increase by 18%

'Rice Sommelier' Also Appears

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] As demand for home-cooked meals has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in premium rice sold at department stores has also grown.

On the 23rd, Shinsegae Department Store reported that rice sales in the first half of this year increased by 18.5% compared to the same period last year. In particular, during the months of February to April, when people stayed home more due to COVID-19, sales grew significantly by 41.9%, 20.4%, and 29.9%, respectively. Online sales have also been growing by 80% annually.

Starting this month, Shinsegae Department Store plans to capture related demand by offering premium rice personally recommended by a "rice sommelier" both online and offline. First, they opened a rice specialty section called ‘Shinsegae Department Store Rice Shop’ on their online mall SSG.com earlier this month. In this newly established specialty section, they collaborated with the rice brand ‘Gyeongseongmiga’ to enhance the prestige of premium rice with a newly designed exclusive Shinsegae package. The variety of premium and unique rice types has been increased by 150% to meet diverse customer needs.

Products for single-person households and dual-income families have also been prepared. Instead of purchasing large quantities of 10 to 20 kg as in the past, vacuum-packed rice in 300g portions is introduced to match the trend of preferring small packages. This product targets the experience-oriented millennial generation. Related lifestyle products such as rice cookers and tableware are also available for purchase together.

Offline, the Shinsegae Department Store locations in Gangnam and Centum City are available. Customers can directly examine and purchase products specially blended in unique ratios by internationally certified "rice sommeliers." Mixed rice, which combines the unique characteristics of various grains, improves taste and has a high repurchase rate.

One of the representative products, ‘Yeoju Jachae Rice,’ is a domestic variety produced in royal paddy fields, known for its stickiness and luster. It is the top-selling product at the Shinsegae Department Store Rice Shop, priced at 21,500 KRW for 4 kg.

The ‘Organic Premium Rice’ is a new variety known as the "Dragon’s Eye," with grains 1.5 times larger than other varieties and famous for its unique texture and aroma. It is organically grown in Haenam and priced at 58,000 KRW for 5 kg.

The 300g vacuum-packed rice is available in 12 varieties. These include Dragon’s Eye, Samgwang, Golden Queen No. 3, Chucheong, Koshihikari, and others, packaged in portions suitable for two servings and popular as gifts. Prices range from 3,000 to 5,000 KRW.

Along with the stay-at-home trend, traditional sauces and pickled vegetables have also gained new attention. They have emerged as "filial side dishes" that can be stored for a long time and stimulate appetite during the summer.

Choi Won-jun, head of food at Shinsegae Department Store, said, “As demand for home-cooked meals has increased recently, customers’ interest in premium luxury rice available at department stores is also growing. We will lead the trend with special products that incorporate Shinsegae’s unique distribution know-how.”

Meanwhile, Shinsegae has previously taken the lead in promoting traditional food culture by launching brands such as ‘Uri Sulbang’ and ‘Shinsegae Jangbang.’ Uri Sulbang, the industry’s first traditional liquor specialty store, features labels, containers, and packaging box designs directly participated in by Shinsegae Department Store. Shinsegae Jangbang is also the industry’s first traditional sauce curated store, selling products newly designed by famous artisans and masters nationwide.

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