With about three weeks to go before the Chuseok holiday that begins on the 3rd next month, department stores have begun full-scale sales of Chuseok gift sets. They are competing with premium products such as Korean beef priced in the millions of won, high-sugar fruits, and ultra-high-end whiskies costing more than 100 million won.
Lotte Department Store said on the 14th that it will run full-scale Chuseok gift set sales from the 15th to Oct. 4. Lotte has further strengthened its top-tier line, "El Premier." It increased by 10% from last year the volume of premium products aged for more than 15 days, selected from the top 1% of grain-fed cow Korean beef graded 1++(9) with outstanding marbling.
The flagship product, "El Premier grain-fed cow Korean beef luxury gift," is priced at 3 million won and limited to 100 sets. In liquor, it will unveil a single-bottle release, "The Glenlivet 55 Years Eternal Collection," priced at 131 million won.
It will also launch the "Heritage Collection," which combines Darjeeling tea from the high-end tea brand Apki Passand, used as an official gift during state visits to India, with brass tea ware. Starting this year, Lotte has established a holiday premium customer program, "Lotte Gift Club," offering discounts of up to 35% and exclusive special-price items based on purchase amount.
Shinsegae Department Store will operate special Chuseok gift sales corners at 13 stores nationwide starting on the 16th. It will showcase premium items such as Korean beef from its flagship "5-STAR" lineup, wild king abalone, and traditional dried yellow corvina, and it has expanded the supply of its private-label "Shinsegae grain-fed cow Korean beef" gift sets by more than 20% from last year.
Shinsegae said it secured price competitiveness for fresh produce by diversifying production areas. It newly introduced the "Concierge fruit gift," which uses paulownia boxes, and the fruit-basket "Concierge basket special," and added the new grape variety "Royal Vine grape" to the Concierge basket special.
It will also sell holiday sets from brands in its in-house food hall, "House of Shinsegae," including "Yoon Haeundae Galbi," "Kim Susa," and "Jaju Hansang." Shinsegae also said that pre-orders for gift sets that began last month rose by more than 80% from a year earlier.
Hyundai Department Store will sell about 1,500 types of gift sets at offline stores and online malls (The Hyundai.com, Hyundai Foodhall To Home, Hyundai H Mall) from the 16th to the 5th of next month. In the Korean beef category, it will feature products from farms practicing organic livestock raising, and it prepared "Hyundai Luxury Korean Beef No. 9," which applies the highest marbling grade (No. 9), and "Hyundai Luxury Korean Beef Premium." For fruit gift sets, it combined various new varieties with staple fruits such as apples and pears.
Galleria Department Store will showcase top-tier Korean beef sets priced between 500,000 won and 2 million won, along with premium jerky. Its liquor subsidiary Vino Galleria prepared exclusive champagnes, including the "Domaine des Tuileries" set aged in limestone caves and "Régis Poissinet," made from 40-year-old vines. High-end appetizers such as caviar gift sets are also included. Online, purchases can be made at up to 15% off via Galleria Mall and KakaoTalk Gift, and its private-label "Gourmet 494 PB" gift sets are also sold on Coupang and Kurly.