Articles by Jo He-rim
Jo He-rim
herim@heraldcorp.com-
Over 10m use McDonald’s drive-thru platform in Q1
McDonald’s Korea said Thursday more than 10 million cars made orders from McDrive, its drive-thru platform, in the first quarter of this year, surging sharply amid the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the burger chain, March saw the highest number of users for the drive-thru service, and sales went up by 30 percent on-year. The average value per order also rose by 15 percent. As people avoid face-to-face transactions with the social distancing trend, the burger chain said about 60 percen
Consumer April 9, 2020
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Sunscreen sales on the rise, despite face masks
With the weather warming up in South Korea, sunscreen sales are on the rise -- despite the “new normal” of wearing face masks due to the COVID-19 outbreak, industry sources said Tuesday. According to CJ Olive Young, a health and beauty store chain here, sales of sunblock jumped 81 percent from March 30 to Sunday, compared with the same period a month earlier (March 2 to 8). Among them, organic or carbon-based sunscreen products were the most popular, witnessing a 132 percent incre
Consumer April 8, 2020
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Beauty app Zamface accumulates over 10m clicks on AI service
Zamface, a beauty video app, said Tuesday that its “Time Jump” service function accumulated over 10.17 million clicks from users since its launch in June 2019. The app’s Time Jump service allows users to skip ahead to parts of beauty YouTube videos to search out specific information, without having to watch the whole video. Time Jump, which is based on artificial intelligence, automatically analyzes a video to mark different chapters and create the time jump options -- shad
Industry April 7, 2020
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FTC vows for strict evaluation of Baemin-Yogiyo merger
The Korean Fair Trade Commission, which is currently investigating the corporate merger of the nation‘s No. 1 and 2 delivery apps, Baedal Minjok and Yogiyo, respectively, vowed stricter evaluation Tuesday, after Baemin’s attempt to change the commission system took flak. Baemin restructured its fee system starting April 1, basically changing from a flat-sum system that requires restaurant owners to pay a monthly fee to a fixed-rate commission of 5.8 percent per order made on the a
Industry April 7, 2020
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Homeplus exports toilet paper to Singapore
South Korean hypermarket chain Homeplus said Monday it was exporting toilet paper to Singapore, which has a shortage of daily necessities as its trade partners close borders amid the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the company, it is selling 2,000 packs of its private brand product Simplus toilet paper and facial tissues to Qoo10, a Singapore-based e-commerce firm. The products departed from Busan Port for delivery to Singapore on Monday. The two types of Simplus products are to be sold on
Consumer April 6, 2020
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P&G rolls out new fabric softener Downy Spring Garden
P&G rolled out Downy Spring Garden on Monday, a new product of its fabric softener Downy Botanis Perfume collection. Downy Spring Garden boasts the delicate scent of spring, allowing customers to enjoy a spring garden from inside their homes, the company said. The product boasts a relatively gentle fragrance and is highly concentrated so users can put in a third of the normal amount for the same effect as its other fabric softeners, the company said. “Downy Botanis Perfume Colle
Consumer April 6, 2020
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Korea lifts ban on online liquor sales
As of Friday, South Korean consumers can freely order alcoholic drinks online and pay via internet or with a mobile app. With a ban on online purchases of liquor lifted, convenience stores and hypermarket chains stand to benefit, according to the industry. Changes to the Liquor Tax Act came into effect Friday allowing retailers, including restaurants, hypermarkets and convenience stores, to sell alcoholic beverages on mobile apps and on the internet. But delivery is still banned, so custome
Consumer April 6, 2020
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Baedal Minjok’s new fee system faces dispute
Baedal Minjok’s recently restructured fee system, which involves charging restaurant owners a fixed-rate commission of 5.8 percent, is now facing criticism from restaurants that say it imposes a higher cost burden, industry sources said Sunday. The country’s No. 1 delivery app has expanded its fixed-rate system Open Service by lowering the rate from 6.8 percent to 5.8 percent per order starting Wednesday, while scaling back the other optional flat-sum system, Ultra Call. This
Industry April 5, 2020
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Amorepacific launches eye shadow palette for men
Amorepacific’s male cosmetics brand BeREADY said Thursday it has launched a new eye shadow palette for men. BeREADY, which was introduced last year, said it rolled out the Mood Up Shadow Eye Palette, the first eye palette product in the market to be developed for men. The brand said the range of cosmetics used by men are expanding from skin base creams to color items. The four colors of the eye palette are chosen based on how well they blend and can also be used for facial contouring,
Consumer April 2, 2020
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Pengsoo creates hit for retailers
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
Consumer April 2, 2020
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Pulmuone rolls out sliced kimchi packs for small households
Pulmuone, a fresh food company, said Thursday it has launched two portion packs of Pulmuone Sliced Kimchi for small households, reflecting the increasing number of single and two-person households. The pack comes in two sizes -- 400 and 600 grams. While kimchi products are usually composed of 3 to 10 kilogram packs, Pulmuone said its small portion kimchi will fit the needs of small households. According to Statistics Korea, single and two-person households accounted for 57 percent of the pop
Consumer April 2, 2020
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High-end restaurants opt for drive-thru service
With social distancing becoming daily routine for people here in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, fancy restaurants are turning to drive-thru services, according to industry sources Tuesday. Samwon Garden, a decades-old local Korean food restaurant established in 1976, said it started a “driving pickup” service from Friday, in which customers can pick up meals ordered in advance from their cars. The restaurant offers discounts for all customers, selling short ribs menu items at
Consumer April 1, 2020
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[Herald Interview] ‘With fried chicken, water beats beer’
No one can deny that water is essential for life, but until recently, it has typically been considered indistinctive -- without color, taste or smell. But as water sommelier Ko Jae-youn explains, the common idea that water is tasteless is wrong. Aside from its beneficial mineral content, water also has enough taste to be paired with food, like wine is, he said. “Try light carbonated water with fried chicken, just as a quick way to find out how water can be paired with food. It will ta
Industry April 1, 2020
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[Photo News] Ediya opens Dream Factory
Ediya Coffee Chairman Moon Chang-ki (far right) turns on a roasting machine at Ediya Dream Factory in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. The factory that spans 12,982 square meters, with 40 billion won investment, is equipped with new coffee roasting technologies. Ediya, which has 3,000 franchisees nationwide, said with the opening of the roasting factory and a logistics facility, it has automated all four processes of selecting, roasting and packaging coffee products. (herim@he
Consumer April 1, 2020
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Binggrae takes over Haitai Icecream
Korean food and beverage giant Binggrae said Wednesday it has acquired Haitai Icecream, a subsidiary of Haitai Confectionery & Food, for 140 billion won ($115 million). The exact date of the acquisition will be fixed after details are sorted out. Haitai Confectionery & Food began its ice cream business in 1970 by rolling out Bravo Cone. In January, it was spun off as a separate entity. Following the acquisition, Binggrae is likely to become No. 1 in the confectionery industry, with
Consumer April 1, 2020
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