Daesang Jongga Opens First Kimchi Popup Store in London, UK

Operating a Pop-up in London Targeting the Global MZ Generation
Featuring 3 Zones to Experience a New World of Flavors

Daesang is accelerating efforts to promote kimchi as the origin country of kimchi by opening a Jongga (JONGGA) pop-up store in London, UK. The strategy focuses on targeting the global MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) who seek experiential consumption through offline pop-up stores.

Interior view of the pop-up store opened by Daesang Jongga in London, UK.

Daesang announced on the 20th that it will operate the Jongga pop-up store in Covent Garden, London for about three weeks from the 16th of last month until the 8th of next month.

Europe is being recognized as a new frontier in the global kimchi market, with the Netherlands and the UK joining Japan, the US, and Hong Kong as the top five countries for domestic kimchi exports. In fact, from 2017 to 2022, the volume of domestic kimchi exports to Europe has grown by an average of over 17% annually, and as of last year, Jongga kimchi exports to Europe accounted for about 56% of the total domestic export volume of 3,542 tons.

Among them, Kingston in London, UK, designated the first-ever ‘Kimchi Day’ in Europe last July, reflecting high interest in kimchi. Covent Garden, where the Jongga pop-up store is located, is near ‘Seven Dials,’ a famous food market, attracting both locals and tourists. Daesang plans to strengthen connections with the MZ generation in the UK and Europe through the offline pop-up store.

This pop-up store is themed ‘Flavourverse,’ a blend of ‘Flavour’ and ‘Multiverse,’ designed as a space where the global MZ generation can discover a diverse world of flavors and experience a new Jongga. It highlights the excellence and history of the kimchi brand Jongga and is divided into three zones where visitors can experience kimchi paired with various global cuisines.

Collaboration menu in the 'Kimchi Alley' zone at the pop-up store opened by Daesang Jongga in London, UK.

First, the ‘Kimchi Alley’ zone is a modern reinterpretation of Korea’s street food stalls, offering a variety of kimchi dishes in collaboration with local London restaurants. Collaborations include the fusion Korean restaurant ‘Seoul Bird,’ wood-fired pizza specialist ‘Bad Boy Pizza Society,’ and European-style bistro ‘Darby’s.’ Visitors can enjoy diverse menu items such as kimchi mac and cheese noodles, bibim pizza, and kimchi tacos. The collaborative menu items will also be available at each restaurant’s location.

After Kimchi Alley, visitors enter the ‘Kimchi Lab’ zone, where Korean kimchi and kimjang (kimchi-making) culture and the excellence of Jongga kimchi are showcased through media art. The space is designed as a three-sided projection room to immerse visitors in the atmosphere, allowing them to vividly experience the fermentation process of kimchi. A miniature display of kimjang scenes is also exhibited to attract local consumers unfamiliar with the kimjang culture. The final zone, ‘Kimchi Mart,’ features a supermarket CCTV-themed photo zone where visitors can take selfies. Additionally, a touchscreen recommends kimchi based on consumer preferences and introduces various Jongga kimchi products.

Customers visiting the pop-up store can purchase Jongga kimchi and O’Food products. Various new Jongga products such as Original Mat Kimchi, Vegan Mat Kimchi, and Rosemary Kimchi, along with popular O’Food global products like gnocchi tteokbokki, truffle sauce, and kim bugak (seaweed crisps), are all available in one place. Simultaneously, Daesang will commemorate the pop-up store opening by broadcasting advertisements for the Jongga brand and the pop-up store campaign on the Leicester Square digital billboard in London.

Lee Kyung-ae, Executive Vice President of Daesang Food Global Business Division, said, “Reflecting the high interest of global MZ generation consumers in K-food, we have operated the first-ever Jongga kimchi pop-up store in the heart of London, where diverse food cultures coexist. We will continue to carry out various online and offline marketing activities to actively communicate with the global MZ generation.”

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