Samjin Foods opens Shanghai store, targets China expansion
Samjin Foods’ Samjin Fish Cake store in Shanghai’s Huangpu District / Courtesy of Samjin Foods
Samjin Foods is taking its Korean fish cake brand deeper into China, opening its first store in Shanghai’s central shopping district as it looks to turn early sales momentum into a broader retail presence.
The Busan-based company said Monday that Samjin Fish Cake opened its first store in eastern China, Friday, at New World Dawan Department Store on Nanjing East Road in Shanghai’s Huangpu district.
The shop sits near Nanjing Road, one of Shanghai’s best-known shopping streets, and the Bund, a major tourist destination.
Unlike the company’s direct-run stores in Korea, the Shanghai outlet offers freshly cooked fish cakes on-site.
Its menu includes fish cake croquettes and fish cake bars, along with two varieties of spicy fish cake rice cakes, one fish cake soup dish and two beverages.
The company is highlighting cheese-filled croquettes and rosé-sauce fish cake rice cakes, which combine familiar local flavors with Korean street food offerings.
Samjin Foods said the store’s preopening period showed promising demand, with daily sales meeting targets from the early days and reaching as much as 200 percent of the goal on some days.
The company said customers have included not only tourists but also nearby residents and office workers, suggesting potential for a broader local following.
Beyond its physical store, Samjin Foods is expanding distribution of its Sun-sal Bar fish cake products through major Chinese retail chains, including Costco, Hema and Lawson.
At the end of September, bulk packages of Sun-sal Bar entered two Costco stores in Shanghai, while Lawson sells the products at about 1,300 locations in Shanghai and surrounding areas.
The company is also discussing new distribution opportunities with Pang Dong Lai, a major retailer in Henan province, as it seeks to extend its reach beyond Shanghai and eastern China.
Samjin Foods said the new store would give local consumers a fresh way to experience the brand and help strengthen its position in China.
The company plans to pursue additional store openings in China before the end of 2026, using customer preferences and operating data from Shanghai to refine its expansion strategy.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.