The landscape of the domestic seafood market is undergoing rapid restructuring. A new leader has emerged, overtaking squid, which has long held the top spot in seafood sales rankings. According to GS Freshmart's statistics, salmon's annual sales for the past year surpassed an impressive 10 billion won, securing an overwhelming first place in the seafood category. This achievement is evaluated as a signal shot showing a clear change in consumer preference and purchasing patterns, going beyond a simple increase in sales volume.
Last year, salmon sales surged by 53.8%, reaching 1.5 times the previous year's figure, and this upward trend continues into this year. Specifically, for the first quarter of this year, growth of 48.6% compared to the same period last year was observed, revealing strong performance from the start of the year. Experts predict that this year's annual salmon sales will far exceed 13 billion won. This growth trend is linked to efforts across the retail industry to secure various import sources, such as Chilean salmon, to reduce price burdens, leading to strategic sales strengthening centered around products from specific countries.
GS Freshmart is further strengthening its sales strategy centered on Norwegian salmon to secure price competitiveness. Until the 5th, the event selling 200g salmon fillet products at 9,900 won, which is a maximum of 20% off market prices, is currently underway. This is because they secured price advantage by signing an annual supply contract for Norwegian salmon. While general retailers often renegotiate purchase prices on a cycle of at least 2 weeks to 1 month, facing significant price instability due to exchange rate and oil price fluctuations, this company minimized price volatility by promising bulk purchases and receiving goods at a fixed annual price.
Sales strategies for salmon have also undergone groundbreaking changes. The most representative example is the 'Salmon Specialty Zone' introduced for the first time in the industry. Here, various products from salmon fillets to salmon for grilling are displayed together with accompanying vegetables and dedicated sauces, providing convenience and value to customers. As a result of a pilot introduction to 2 stores, it was analyzed that the salmon sales at those stores were more than 50% higher than at regular stores. Based on this, plans were set to expand the introduction to 100 stores by the end of this year, and in the future, activities to promote consumption will continue, including jointly hosting the Norway Seafood Committee and the Seafood Academy for the first time in a large-format supermarket (SSM).