Retailers rush to import foreign food items to boost sales

Models pose with Tokki Soju, the first American handcrafted traditional rice soju, at a Shinsegae Department Store branch in Seoul, Dec. 18. / Courtesy of Shinsegae Department Store

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Retailers have been rushing to import snacks, beverages and other food items from overseas to expand their product lineup and boost sales, according to industry officials Thursday.

They are looking for items that can meet the tastes of the social media generation, who are eager to try out new things.

The fact that an increasing number of people make direct purchases from foreign countries has also pushed retailers to discover and bring in the “most-trending” items from around the world.

According to data from the Korea Customs Service, Korea's direct purchases from foreign countries rose to 2.92 trillion won ($2.5 billion) in 2018, up 30.4 percent from a year earlier, on rising consumer demand for cheaper and higher-quality products.

Convenience store chain CU sold the first batch of 10,000 buckets of Maltesers, chocolate imported from Australia, in just 20 hours after it added the item to its shelves in September.

Dubbed “the devil's snack” due to its “moreish” taste, Maltesers has gained wide popularity among millennials here.

Following the success of the bucket-packaged chocolate, CU also launched Maltesers in small packages.

“Maltesers are in high demand because they are 15 percent cheaper than at airport duty free shops,” a CU official said. “We will continue to bring in popular items from abroad and respond to consumer demand.”

Xiao Mei's Brown Sugar Boba Ice Cream Bar sold at GS25 convenience stores / Courtesy of GS25

Another leading convenience store GS25 is also enjoying a boost in sales of imported dessert products.

Since December, it has been selling Brown Sugar Boba Ice Cream Bars, the ice cream form of the bubble tea drink, from Taiwan.

Taiwanese ice cream company Xiao Mei has managed to revamp the components of a cup of brown sugar pearl milk ― brown sugar syrup, milk and brown sugar tapioca pearls ― into Brown Sugar Boba Ice Cream Bars.

The ice cream bars have gained popularity after young Korean travelers created a buzz.

“We sold 60,000 ice creams in just six days after the launch. We will import additional packs of ice creams after selling the entire stock of 240,000 ice creams,” a GS25 official said.

Shinsegae Department Store launched a limited edition of Tokki Soju, the first American handcrafted traditional rice soju, in December.

The company explained that it has received requests from consumers to import Tokki Soju, as it has already become a “hot” item for young Korean tourists traveling to the U.S.

The sales of Dallmayr, a German coffee brand exclusively sold at Hyundai Department Store, quadrupled compared with 2017.