The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said on the 6th it will hold the "April Companion Festival" for a month from the 11th to May 10. The event aims to counter subdued consumer sentiment stemming from the Middle East war and support sales growth for small merchants.
The Companion Festival is a consumption-promotion campaign that began in 2020. This year's event will feature 200 sales channels nationwide and participation by 33,000 small and midsize companies and small merchants.
To boost local consumption, promotional events linked to 50 regional festivals nationwide will also run. At local venues such as the Gwangju Yangdong Tongmaek Festival and the Busan Wheat Festival, there will be sales fairs for local companies' products, performances, and hands-on programs.
To attract more foreign tourists, travel packages linked to regional festivals, the "Companion Festival 50 Tour," will also be offered. "Companion Welcome Centers" will be set up at airports and the airport railroad to provide information on local commercial districts and festivals.
At Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, in collaboration with the Korea Heritage Agency (KHA), more than 40 traditional culture-based products, including a dancheong keyboard, a ceramic music box, and a mother-of-pearl ballpoint pen, will be exhibited and sold.
Consumer incentives will also be expanded during the event period. The discount rate for the digital Onnuri gift certificate will be temporarily raised from 7% to 10% from May 1 to 5.
Nine card issuers, including Lotte, BC, Samsung, Shinhan, Woori, Hana, Hyundai, KB Kookmin, and NH Nonghyup, will offer a 10% statement discount for payments of 30,000 won or more at Centennial Stores, traditional markets, and Onnuri merchants. There will also be prize drawings and cashback events for customers who spend 100,000 won or more.
At Jeonju Indoor Gymnasium, an on-site sales fair will be held for two days along with the opening ceremony on the 11th. A total of 3,100 customers who make purchases of 10,000 won or more can attend a K-pop concert for free.
At 12,000 Seven-Eleven stores nationwide, a "Companion Lunchbox" purchase verification event will take place. Up to 30,000 won in mobile gift certificates will be given to 3,400 participating customers.
For the online sales fair, 93 platforms, including Kakao, Gmarket, and Kurly, and about 18,000 small merchants will participate. K-beauty, fashion, and food products will be sold at 10% to 40% off.
On Naver's "Companion 300 Special Exhibition," additional discount coupons will be offered to sell products at up to 70% off.
Offline, at 1,200 Hanaro Mart stores, agricultural, livestock, fishery, and processed products will be sold at up to 60% off. At E-MART Chuncheon, Daegu Wolbae, and Cheonan Seobuk stores, sales fairs with participation by about 20 small merchants will be held.
At Lotte Department Store Jamsil and NC Department Store Gangseo, food, miscellaneous goods, and kitchenware will be sold at up to 60% off.
The Apparel Environment Council and the Korea Kitchen Distribution Association will also hold a joint special exhibition offering up to 90% off clothing and kitchenware.
At policy stores such as Panpan Duty Free in Incheon Airport and Haengbokan Department Store, about 1,000 products will be sold at up to 80% off. At 436 supermarkets nationwide affiliated with the Small and Medium Distribution Joint Wholesale Logistics Center, a joint discount event on 170 items will be held.
Minister Han Seong-sook of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) said, "Spending in the community is the way to revive the economy," urging participation in the event.