South Korea's three major department store chains — Lotte, Shinsegae and Hyundai — will begin presales of Chuseok holiday gift sets, they said on the 13th.
Lotte Department Store will offer discounts of up to 50% on about 190 specially curated Chuseok gift items — including meat, seafood, fruit and grocery products — across all of its stores for 20 days, from the 14th through the 3rd of next month. In the meat category, Lotte expanded its supply of high-demand Korean beef grilling sets by about 30% from a year earlier. It also broadened its "gourmet pairing" gift lineup, designed to maximize the flavor of Korean beef.
In seafood, Lotte increased the number of items in its "easy-prep seafood gift" range and raised discounts by 5 to 10 percentage points, reflecting strong demand for products that require little preparation. In fruit, the store is introducing "hybrid fruit sets" that combine domestic fruit with imported seasonal produce. It expanded its supply of popular apple and pear sets by more than 50%.
Lotte is also offering special Chuseok benefits through its "Lotte Gift Club" for high-value customers. From the 14th through the 23rd of next month, customers who buy food gift sets will receive L.Point rewards or Lotte gift certificates worth up to 7% of their purchase amount.
Shinsegae Department Store will run Chuseok gift set presales from the 14th through the 6th of next month, increasing the number of presale items by 25% from a year earlier. Discounts on major items include 5 to 10% on Korean beef — the top-selling holiday product — 20 to 30% on dried yellow croaker, 10 to 25% on fruit, up to 65% on health foods, up to 28% on wine and 10% on desserts.
The store also prepared distinctive specialty gift sets. Signature dishes from popular restaurants housed in House of Shinsegae are being offered as holiday gifts, including a short rib set from Yoon Haeundae (300,000 won) and a soy-marinated crab set from Kim Susa (150,000 won).
Hyundai Department Store will hold its Chuseok gift set presales from the 14th of this month through the 3rd of next month, increasing presale volume by about 20% from last year's Chuseok presale period. During the presale, it will offer about 300 popular gift sets — including Korean beef, dried yellow croaker, fruit, health foods and alcoholic beverages — at discounts of up to 25%.
This year, Hyundai expanded its gift categories beyond food to include beauty, home appliances and tableware. Featured products include a tumbler from Baccarat, the French luxury crystal brand, and a functional pillow from Hästens, the Swedish luxury handmade bed brand.
Hyundai is also running a promotion for customers who buy gifts through The Hyundai High online store and mobile app during the presale period. Customers who purchase gift sets of 50,000 won or more will receive a coupon for up to 10% off (once per period, capped at 70,000 won).
"In line with customers' increasingly specialized gift preferences, we have greatly broadened the range of gift choices beyond traditional Korean beef and fruit to include beauty, living and high-end home appliances," said Jang Woo-seok, head of Hyundai Department Store's food business division.
