Posco International said Wednesday its CEO Joo Si-bo and employees have joined the Thank You Challenge campaign to express gratitude to medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. The public campaign was launched by the Central Disaster Safety and Countermeasure Headquarters with the aim of encouraging medical workers struggling to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Anyone can participate in the campaign by posting a picture of sign language with gratitude on social media and naming the next p

Korea’s antitrust watchdog has decided to impose a fine of 64.7 billion won ($54.1 million) on food giant SPC for violation of antitrust laws, officials said Wednesday. The Fair Trade Commission is also set to report Chairman Hur Young-in, former group CEO Cho Sang-ho and former Paris Croissant CEO Hwang Jae-bok to prosecutors. “The investigation found that the chief was involved in supporting Samlip in diverse ways on the group level,” an FTC official said. Samlip is the

Paris Baguette, South Korea’s biggest bakery brand operated by SPC Group, said Monday it is testing a new subscription business by launching a monthly discount service for its coffee and sandwich menus. Usable once every day for 30 days, the subscription offers either coffee or a sandwich and coffee set, respectively priced at 19,800 won ($16.40) and 48,900 won. There will be 12 sandwich menu choices. Users can subscribe to the service on Happy App, the SPC Group’s mobile applicat

While the COVID-19 pandemic has depressed the performance of many businesses, the opposite is true for South Korean food company SPC Group, which has expanded its overseas business in recent months. In June, SPC Group -- owner of the country’s biggest bakery brand, Paris Baguette -- announced that it would launch the brand in Canada. It will be the seventh country the company has entered. The COVID-19 pandemic means it will take longer than usual to find partner firms and conduct market

Baskin-Robbins, the American ice cream chain that is operated by SPC Group in Korea, said Thursday it has hired K-pop boy band BTS to promote the flavor of the month in August. Baskin-Robbins said it has finished shooting the advertisement and photos to promote the new flavor of ice cream set for August with BTS, and will release them next month via social media and on cable TV. The company said it will also roll out various promotional goods, such as a “projection light” to cel

South Korea’s SPC Group, which operates bakery franchise Paris Baguette, said it has bagged a Guinness World Records certification for its bestselling roll cake brand. Paris Baguette’s sales of Silky Roll Cake topped 12.49 million from January 2015 to December 2019 in five countries -- Korea, China, the US, Singapore and Vietnam. It is the largest number of roll cakes to be sold and hence got the honor, the company said. When converted to distance, it is 3,000 kilometers when con

SPC Global Food Service, the food distribution affiliate of SPC Samlip, said Monday that it is exporting to Poland a number of canned kimchi and laver products it developed with small food manufacturers. According to the company, it is launching the canned kimchi and dried laver it developed jointly with BosungilukjoKorea and Jinheon Food at Poland’s largest supermarket chain, Biedronka. They will be available at all 2,800 stores in July. The canned kimchi was designed to offer conven

Korean food company SPC Samlip said Monday it has launched the home deli brand YAAM! with Coupang, an e-commerce giant here. Under the new brand, the company said it is presenting 17 products, including bread, salad and soup items to go up against home meal replacements. The new brand is available only via online retailers. SPC Samlip said it has partnered with Coupang to target the growing food delivery market, and that they selected items that encompass wider choices of Western food, as

SPC Group, the operator of Korea’s leading bakery franchise Paris Baguette, said Sunday it will enter Canada by launching the flagship Paris Baguette brand next year. According to the company, it recently established Paris Baguette Family Canada Licensing with a plan to open the first stores in major cities in the country, including Vancouver and Toronto in the first half of next year. The move comes as part of its plan to expand its business in North America. SPC Group has had laid o

It's not just funny or tongue-in-cheek wordplay. Rather, it is a highly calibrated marketing strategy ironed out by South Korean foodmakers here to mainly target the important clan of young customers. Brand collaboration is not something new in the segment, but the food industry is currently expanding the scope of partnership with other sectors -- sports, fashion and cosmetics, you name it. CJ Cheiljedang Corp., South Korea's largest food company, has teamed up with the Hanwha Eagles, a profe

SPC Group said Wednesday it will open a Shake Shack store in Daegu in July, its first in the city. According to the company, the new Daegu store will be located in Dongseongno Spark, a shopping mall with a theme park. It is the second outlet to be launched outside Seoul metropolitan area, after the store in Busan, which opened in July 2019. The lot is currently covered with a colorful hoarding art depicting the city’s skyline, for which the company cooperated with Xeva a graffiti arti

South Korea’s antitrust watchdog is set to decide this month what sanctions to impose against conglomerates whose affiliates carried out illegal business transactions with each other, according to news reports Monday. Under the fair trade law, internal trading among affiliates of large companies controlled by owner families is banned as chaebol scions have benefited from such practices at the expense of fair competition. The list of companies subject to penalties by the Fair Trade Co

Korean food company SPC Group said Tuesday that its affiliate SPC Samlip has acquired the exclusive contract for operations in Korea of Eggslut, a popular egg sandwich franchise in California, as well as the license for Singapore. The company said it will introduce the first Eggslut store in Korea at Coex Mall in Seoul in June. US brand Eggslut is famous for its egg sandwiches made with a warm brioche bun, scrambled eggs and sriracha mayo sauce. “We are pleased to show Korean guests t

As more people are staying in amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, restaurants are turning to takeaway and delivery services to attract customers wary of coming into contact with others while dining out. Luxury hotels are offering contactless dining suitable for customers celebrating a special day at home or for those conducting an important business meeting over a meal. Lotte Hotel Seoul in central Seoul launched meal sets that can be picked up at a drive-thru on April 6. In the fir

Pengsoo, a popular costumed penguin character from educational television network EBS, is sweeping the local retail market, with sales rocketing. GS25, a convenience store chain here, said Thursday its collaboration products with Pengsoo is hitting record sales. GS25 rolled out four Pengsoo-themed fresh food items, including tuna sandwich and gimbab (seaweed rice-roll), two umbrellas and four socks on March 27. Over 200,000 orders were made from its convenience stores on the first day of la