Lotte Department Store Gwangju Strengthens Competitiveness of 'Super Fresh Local Food'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Shin Dong-ho] Lotte Department Store Gwangju Branch announced on the 16th that it will join the competition for ‘ultra-fresh’ products, led by ultra-fresh local foods, which is sweeping the distribution industry.

Recently, offline-based distribution companies, including department stores, are fiercely competing in ‘ultra-fresh’ products by offering fruits and vegetables harvested early in the morning on the same day to survive the competition with rapidly growing online distributors due to COVID-19, putting their lives on the line to strengthen their competitiveness in fresh foods.

Lotte Mart has been releasing ‘ultra-fresh’ products one after another, such as ‘Cherry Tomato’ that allows customers to purchase fresh cherry tomatoes freshly harvested at 3 a.m. from the production site directly in stores by the afternoon of the same day, and ‘Ultra-fresh Eggs’ that can be found on store shelves on the day of laying, unlike eggs that were sold about a week after laying, attracting much customer interest.

In fact, sales of ultra-fresh product lines are showing remarkable results. ‘Cherry Tomato’ sales doubled compared to initial sales within three months of launch, and ‘Ultra-fresh Eggs’ sales increased more than threefold compared to initial sales within 11 months of launch. All products that arrived at the store on the same day were sold out on the same day, recording a 0% disposal rate.

Accordingly, Lotte Department Store chose ‘local food’ to join the ‘ultra-fresh’ product competition.

‘Local food’ is ideal for maximizing freshness by minimizing the time from shipment at the production site to arrival at the store, shortening the delivery distance, which takes the most absolute time in the transportation of fresh foods.

To this end, Lotte Department Store Gwangju Branch signed a ‘Business Agreement (MOU) for the Activation of Agricultural, Fishery, and Livestock Product Sales’ with Goheung County, which is about 1 hour and 30 minutes by car from Gwangju Metropolitan City, offering excellent accessibility and producing high-quality agricultural, fishery, and livestock products, securing the necessary quantities for the event.

From the 18th to the 24th, a 7-day ‘Ultra-fresh Local Food Agricultural and Specialty Products Exhibition’ will be held, preparing a total of 30 tons of 8 items including seasonal peaches, fresh corn, functional rice, beets, and onions.

In particular, all the peaches and corn, which lose freshness if not sold immediately after harvest, will be directly imported from Goheung County farms and sold during the event period, helping local farmers focus solely on production and commercialization without difficulties in sales.

Na-yeon, head of Lotte Department Store Gwangju Branch, said, “We were able to create a win-win space where local farmers, local governments, and customers can all enjoy by directly delivering excellent agricultural, fishery, and livestock products produced by our local farms to customers in a short time,” adding, “We will strive to contribute to the local economy by expanding sales of ultra-fresh local foods through this opportunity.”

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