CJ CheilJedang to Expand Frozen Rice and Frozen Noodles... Sales Target 130 Billion Won This Year

Achieving Sales of Over 100 Billion Won with the 'Jipbap' Trend

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-sun] CJ CheilJedang is positioning Bibigo frozen rice and frozen noodles as representative products of the '?(탈) three meals a day' trend.

CJ CheilJedang announced on the 22nd that it aims to raise the combined sales of Bibigo frozen rice and frozen noodles to around 130 billion KRW this year. Last year, sales were recorded at 100 billion KRW, a 30% increase compared to the previous year. To achieve this, the company is expanding its product lineup. CJ CheilJedang has launched three types of frozen rice: 'Bibigo Bacon Kimchi Fried Rice,' 'Bibigo Spicy Chive and Meat Fried Rice,' and 'Bibigo Soy Sauce Butter Braised Fried Rice.' For frozen noodles, the focus will be on increasing awareness centered around the new product 'Bibigo Refreshing Clam Kalguksu.'

The reason CJ CheilJedang is focusing on frozen rice and frozen noodles is due to the growing number of 'home meal' consumers, which is expanding the related market. According to Nielsen Korea, the frozen rice market grew from 82.5 billion KRW in 2017 to 91.5 billion KRW in 2018, then slightly declined to 88.8 billion KRW in 2019, but rebounded to 109.1 billion KRW last year due to the increase in 'home meal' consumers. The frozen noodle market has been steadily expanding since CJ CheilJedang entered in November 2018.

According to CJ CheilJedang's announced food culture trends for this year, as the time spent at home increases, the boundaries between the three meals a day are expected to blur further. In flexible meal situations such as 'brunch' and 'early dinner,' frozen rice and frozen noodles are useful for conveniently preparing a meal without the need for ingredients or side dishes, allowing for more flexible use of time.

In fact, a recent survey conducted by CJ CheilJedang on 1,000 consumers showed that frozen rice is frequently used for 'when feeling too lazy to cook rice,' 'for a simple meal,' and 'when there is no time to cook rice.' Especially, households with elementary school children showed a higher purchase frequency. The ability to customize quantity and taste by adding rice, vegetables, eggs, seaweed, etc., was also cited as a major advantage. For frozen noodles, the preference was high because consumers can easily enjoy restaurant-level noodle dishes at home, complete with noodles, toppings, and rich broth.

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