Support for SME Entry into Major Retailers... Korea Federation of SMEs Holds "Integrated Online and Offline Product Evaluation Fair"

13 Major Retailers and Over 70 SMEs Participate
One-on-One Consultations Held with Merchandisers from Each Retailer

The Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business held the "2026 First Half Integrated Online and Offline Product Evaluation Fair" at its headquarters in Yeouido on April 22.

Exterior view of the Korea Federation of SMEs. Korea Federation of SMEs

The Integrated Online and Offline Product Evaluation Fair is a win-win initiative that supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in entering distribution channels by partnering with major retail conglomerates.

This event brought together 13 leading retailers, including the five major department stores (Galleria, Lotte, Shinsegae, Hyundai, and AK), large-scale supermarkets (Lotte Mart and Emart), and online platforms (11st, Lotte Shopping e-Commerce, Woowa Brothers, Korea Post Shopping, Coupang, and Home&Shopping).

On the day of the fair, around 70 manufacturing SMEs from diverse sectors—including food, daily necessities, health & beauty, and fashion accessories—that passed the document screening participated in one-on-one consultations with merchandisers (MDs) from each retailer.

Following the fair, the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business plans to provide a range of market access support to companies confirmed for entry after additional consultations and evaluations. This support includes preferential commission rates, participation in popup events, and entry into SME-exclusive sales venues.

Hwang Youngman, policy chief for microbusiness at the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business, stated, "Despite their excellent technology, quality, and marketability, many SMEs still face challenges in securing sales channels. We hope this fair will serve as a practical opportunity for expanding sales routes based on cooperation between large and small companies. We will continue to support competitive products so they can establish a stable presence in the distribution market."

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