Franchise Step Aside... This Time, Large Mart Offers Half-Price Pizza

Emart·Homeplus 5980 Won·2490 Won
Ultra-Low Price Competition Extends from Chicken to Sushi

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Recently, as the prices of chicken and pizza have soared past 30,000 won, large discount stores have started targeting famous franchises. With Homeplus's Dangdang Chicken gaining popularity, the battle has expanded from half-price chicken to pizza and sushi. Amid the ongoing high inflation, large discount stores seem to be expanding the competition for ultra-low-priced food items.

According to the industry on the 24th, Emart is offering sausage pizza made in-store at 5,980 won per person, limited to one pizza per customer until today. This price is less than a quarter of the price of famous franchise pizzas, with 30 pizzas sold on weekdays and 65 on weekends. The Sushi-e Best assorted sushi (18 pieces) is also offered at 12,980 won, discounted by 5,000 won from the usual price. Homeplus is holding the 'Homeplus Daeran Season 2' event until the 31st, selling its private brand (PB) Signature Pizza at a discounted price of 2,490 won from the regular price of 4,990 won. The product is sized for 2 to 3 people and can be easily cooked using a frying pan. The varieties include mushroom pizza, four-cheese pizza, and mozzarella cheese pizza.

The ultra-low-price competition among large discount stores began when Homeplus launched the 6,990 won Dangdang Chicken in June. Dangdang Chicken emphasizes same-day production and manufacturing to improve quality while significantly lowering the price. The types available are fried chicken and sweet seasoned chicken. Emart introduced the 9,980 won 5-Minute Chicken last month and is temporarily selling fried chicken at 5,980 won until today. Each store sells 50 to 100 chickens per day in two batches in the afternoon, with a limit of one chicken per person. Previously, Lotte Mart sold a 1.5-chicken whole chicken for 8,800 won during the Malbok season from the 11th to the 17th.

The reason for the half-price war among large discount stores is its high publicity. There is also a strategy to regain customers who shifted to e-commerce after the COVID-19 pandemic back to offline stores. In fact, chicken sales see daily open runs, and resale with premiums occurs on secondhand trading sites, showing strong consumer response. Coupled with the issue of price stabilization, the situation differs from past controversies over the impact of Tongkeun Chicken on local businesses. With chicken and pizza priced under 10,000 won, criticism has even arisen that franchise companies may have been overcharging until now.

A representative from a large discount store said, "In addition to operating major fresh foods and daily necessities at the lowest prices, we are offering affordable dining options that the whole family enjoys," adding, "We will continue to consider and promptly implement various ways to provide benefits to customers burdened by high inflation."

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