[Distribution Hot People] CU, Vegetarian Series... "Became a Vegetarian Favorite Even Among Regular Customers"

Kim Yukyung BGF Retail MD Interview
Dominates App Pre-Order Sales Ranks 1-2
Popularization of Everyday Food as Vegetarian Products

On the 7th, Kim Yu-kyung, a merchandise planner (MD) at BGF Retail, is introducing the vegetarian series products.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] "The secret to its popularity was creating vegetarian recipes for products that are commonly consumed in daily life, rather than something unique or special."

On the 7th, we met Kim Yu-kyung, a product planner (MD) at BGF Retail, who planned the vegetarian convenience meals that have captivated everyone from vegetarians to general customers. The Vegetarian series is a convenience meal brand created by CU since 2019 to allow customers to easily experience vegetarian food. Currently, vegetarian products are sweeping the top 1 and 2 spots in mobile application (app) pre-sales, gaining great popularity.

The Vegetarian series has steadily evolved through releases from the first to the fourth edition. Recently, it made headlines by using plant-based tuna as an alternative seafood. Kim MD explained, "In the past, alternative meat was the focus, but recently we have been developing products that turn everyday foods into vegetarian products. We used plant-based tuna as an alternative seafood to create fully plant-based versions of the long-selling tuna mayo triangle kimbap and Jeonju bibimbap, and the response has been positive."

The commercialization of vegetarian convenience meals hinges on whether the raw materials are 100% plant-based alternatives. Kim MD said, "Usually, we come up with product ideas and then check with raw material suppliers whether it can be realized as 100% plant-based. From the planning stage to technical aspects, we consider everything when planning products."

When the Vegetarian series was first launched, there were many skeptical views. Kim MD said, "When the first Vegetarian series was released, there was almost no reaction in convenience stores. Internally, the dominant perspective was 'How many people are really vegetarian?' and 'Is it really necessary to make vegetarian convenience meals?'" However, Kim MD has emphasized the need to secure the vegetarian convenience meal market, noting that while the number of vegans who switch all their food to vegetarian is small, the number of people practicing intermittent vegetarianism is steadily increasing. As a result, CU was able to create a new brand image as a convenience store hotspot for vegetarians looking for convenience meals.

CU plans to release additional new products in the Vegetarian series in April. The strategy is to target consumers pursuing value consumption in line with Arbor Day (the 5th) and Earth Day (the 22nd). Kim MD stated, "Since there are not many vegetarian convenience meal products, many customers post purchase reviews on online communities. We want to meet customers' expectations and lead the spread of the vegetarian trend."

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