Office workers seeking lunch boxes amid lunchflation... Office district sales soar

Emart24 Expands Delicious Lineup
Hansot Dosirak's Chicken Mayo Dosirak 'Popular'

A customer is purchasing a lunchbox at the convenience store Emart24.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Recently, as the phenomenon of lunchflation (a portmanteau of lunch and inflation) has intensified, the number of office workers seeking relatively affordable lunchbox products and convenience meals has increased.

According to Emart24 on the 27th, from the 1st of last month to the 26th of this month, sales of lunchboxes and prepared bread increased by 48% and 39% respectively compared to the same period last year. By commercial district, lunchbox sales increased the most in office districts (68%), followed by single-person residential areas (54%) and academy districts (42%). Prepared bread also showed the same order with office districts (52%), academy districts (41%), and single-person residential areas (34%).

Emart24 is expanding its food product lineup to provide tastier meals. They are launching the ‘Umihak Cheese Jjuk Kkakdugi Bokkeum Sotbap,’ inspired by Umihak brand’s signature menu, Kkakdugi Fried Rice. They are also introducing the ‘Staff Crispy Onion Hot Dog’ and ‘Staff Spicy Shredded Cheese Hot Dog.’

Hansot Dosirak is also popular among office workers. According to Hansot Dosirak, lunch hour (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) sales in densely populated office districts increased by 23% compared to the same period last year. Overall sales last month increased by about 15% year-on-year.

Among the products, the ‘Chicken Mayo’ lunchbox, one of Hansot Dosirak’s representative menus, sold the most. It was followed by the ‘Jindallae,’ ‘Donkatsu Doryeonnim,’ and ‘Dongbaek’ lunchboxes. Chicken Mayo is a steady seller boasting sales of 150 million units due to its high cost-effectiveness in the 3,000 won price range. The Jindallae, Donkatsu Doryeonnim, and Dongbaek lunchboxes include rice and various side dishes, making them especially popular lunch menu choices for office workers seeking a hearty meal.

A Hansot Dosirak official said, “As food prices are expected to continue rising in the second half of the year, we anticipate that more consumers will seek lunchboxes during lunchtime.”

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