Lotte Mart Targets Foreign Customers: "K-Food and K-Beauty All in One Place"

K-Beauty Promotion Also Underway
Special Bilingual Guides to Be Provided

Lotte Mart announced on September 2 that it will exclusively launch three new varieties of "Mr. Kimbbasak" (Original, Sour Cream, and Paprika) targeting foreign customers on September 4..

At Lotte Mart Zeta Plex Jamsil Branch located in Songpa-gu, Seoul, MDs Jinkeun Lim and Gayun Lee (right) are promoting new Kim snack products and K-Beauty event items. Provided by Lotte Mart.

"Mr. Kimbbasak" (20g each) will be sold at 4,990 won per pack, and a "2+1" promotion will run until September 17. Lotte Mart expects strong sales of these products, anticipating a significant increase in foreign visitors from late September due to factors such as the resumption of visa-free entry for Chinese tourists.

Recently, "Kim snack" has established itself as a new Korean Wave food item. Its snack form is more familiar to foreigners, lowering the barrier to entry compared to traditional seaweed and making it easier to enjoy. In fact, at Lotte Mart Zeta Plex Seoul Station Branch, where the proportion of foreign visitors is high, the "processed seaweed" category ranked among the top in sales last year, and cumulative sales from January to August this year increased by approximately 40% year-on-year, confirming strong demand from international customers.

The new product is made by frying seaweed that is about 20% thicker than regular seaweed, resulting in a very crispy texture. Additionally, to make it convenient for foreign customers to carry, it is produced in a 20g small package, about half the size of typical seaweed snacks. To achieve this, Lotte Mart’s seafood merchandising team visited Thailand in May this year to collaborate with a manufacturer specializing in frying processes.

On September 4, Lotte Mart will also launch three new varieties of "Badaone Kim Snack" (25g each), priced at 3,990 won each. These products use anchovies and whole nuts to enhance the savory flavor.

Lotte Mart has also prepared a K-Beauty promotion to enhance the shopping experience for foreign customers. At the Lotte Mart H&B (Health & Beauty) store, LOHB’s Plus, popular K-Beauty brands such as Banobagi, VT, and Mediheal will be offered at discounted prices for two weeks from Thursday, September 4 to Wednesday, September 17. Representative items include "Banobagi Vita Genic Jelly Mask (10 sheets)" and "Mediheal Derma Plus Houttuynia Cordata & Aloe Mask (10 sheets each)" at 9,900 won each, and "VT Collagen Needle Shot 100" at 22,900 won. In addition, "Mediheal Essential Mask 4 types" will be available at 4,950 won, and "Centellian24 Madeca Power Boosting Cream" at 18,900 won.

Furthermore, until the end of September, Lotte Mart plans to post bilingual guides at about 10 stores with high numbers of foreign visitors, including Zeta Plex Seoul Station Branch and Yeongjongdo Branch, and attach "Best Pick" promotional tags to popular products to further enhance the shopping convenience for international customers.

Jinkeun Lim, seafood merchandiser at Lotte Mart and Lotte Super, said, "With visa-free entry for Chinese tourists resuming at the end of September, we expect an increase in visits from foreign customers, so we have launched new Kim snacks that are especially popular among them," adding, "We will continue to develop specialized products tailored to the tastes of international customers."

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