Lotte Mart Expands Ultra-Fresh Product Range to Include Pork, Eggs, and Gim

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] Lotte Mart has decided to increase the number of stores handling ultra-fresh products, which were previously produced in small quantities, in response to growing customer demand for fresh food. The range of products handled has also been expanded from pork to eggs, rice, and gim (seaweed).

On the 20th, Lotte Mart announced that it will sell ultra-fresh gim called ‘Gat Guun Gim’ (freshly roasted gim) at offline stores. Gat Guun Gim is gim produced within 3 days by the manufacturer and is being piloted at about 20 stores in the Seoul metropolitan area, including the Songpa branch. Gat Guun Gim is produced at the factory on the day of order (product ordering) and delivered to stores within 3 days to be sold for a limited period of 7 days. While the usual shelf life of gim ranges from 6 to 12 months, it contains oil and salt, which causes the gim to develop a distinctive fishy smell over time. However, Lotte Mart’s Gat Guun Gim is displayed fresh and sold daily in limited quantities for only 7 days.

Earlier, in May, Lotte Mart launched ‘3-day pork’ as part of strengthening its fresh food competitiveness. Unlike regular pork, which takes about 7 days from slaughter to display in stores, 3-day pork is pork displayed in stores within 3 days after slaughter through direct purchase. Although sold in limited quantities and not accounting for a large share of total fresh food sales, demand has been steadily increasing. The 3-day pork started selling at 7 stores and has now expanded to all stores.

Additionally, following the 3-day pork, Lotte Mart began selling ‘ultra-fresh eggs’ at the Jamsil and Seoul Station branches from July. Ultra-fresh eggs are collected from designated farms on the morning of the same day, selected, washed, and packaged, then sold directly in stores that afternoon. Any unsold eggs are discarded. Generally, eggs have a shelf life of 45 days from the laying date, and are usually marketed after 5 to 10 days from laying. However, Lotte Mart offers ultra-fresh eggs that are laid and delivered on the same day, only one day old.

Generally, considering profits, it is not easy for large marts to sell and discard products on the same day. However, after observing customer responses for a month in July, Lotte Mart explained that customers not only inquire about the product arrival times but also wait for the products to be displayed at the right time to purchase, resulting in complete sales without waste. Ultra-fresh eggs started selling at 20 stores in the metropolitan area but have now expanded to 75 stores due to customer demand.

The ultra-fresh strategy has also been applied to rice and gim, which usually have long shelf lives. Since July, instant milled rice and freshly roasted gim have been introduced based on the Jamsil and Guri branches. Instant milled rice is freshly milled upon customer order, ensuring greater freshness, and the freshly roasted gim is hand-roasted on a maekbanseok (lava stone) rather than mass-produced in a factory, allowing customers to enjoy its unique smoky flavor. Customers who order by 3 p.m. on the same day can receive their products within 1 to 2 days through same-day shipping.

Kim Chang-yong, Head of Product Division at Lotte Mart, said, “As interest in fresh and healthy food increases, demand for the ultra-fresh fresh foods introduced by Lotte Mart is also rising. Accordingly, we have expanded the range of ultra-fresh foods from pork and eggs to rice and gim, and we plan to continuously introduce fresh foods that customers can trust and enjoy in the future.”

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