By Jane Han
Staff Reporter
Major retailers nationwide will begin full-fledged sales of U.S. beef starting early next month, establishing the market presence of American meat once again.
As more than 20 discount outlet and department stores are tentatively set to begin sales August 9, they are in a rush to secure the inventory they need, the local division of the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) said Monday.
``We've been tweaking plans with major local distributors and decided that we'll launch joint selling, along with co-promotions, next month,'' a USMEF spokesman was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency.
Retailers are seen to be making plans through the federation as they want to be safe from spotlighted public criticism over selling American meat.
Lotte Mart was the first to begin selling last week at its 53 stores and although sales were strong, local interest groups have made strong protests against the move, which ended up stopping sales in six locations.
``We can't stop a business from going it alone before August, but as of now, most are agreeing to launch all at once,'' the official said, adding that retailers have a strong will toward planting their feet into the U.S. beef market again.
Although Lotte Mart has seen some problems, other businesses have been more motivated to follow as the grocer saw its meat sales go up three to four times since selling U.S. beef cuts.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service said the frequency of U.S. meat imports has tripled over the past month.