Chuseok gift sets redesigned for one

With the Chuseok harvest festival just around the corner, retailers are vying to introduce unique, small-sized gift sets to cater to the growing number of single-person households.

Hyundai Department Store said on Sunday it has introduced home meal replacement packages to cater to the growing number of single-person households. In one package, for example, the retailer offers small portions of tteokgalbi (short rib patties) and bulgogi (grilled marinated meat).

Hyundai Department Store unveils a mix of fruits in small volume, top, while Lotte Department Store introduces fermented soy sauce, bottom, to target single-person households in time for the Chusehok harvest holiday. [HYUNDAI DEPARTMENT STORE, LOTTE DEPARTMENT STORE]

Hyundai Department Store has also introduced a gift set containing a mixture of food in downsized portions. One package, for example, contains a mixture of avocados and mangoes, while another gift set contains apples, pears and Muscat grapes.

“We have introduced unique and premium products to satisfy the diverse consumer tastes,” said a spokesperson for Hyundai Department Store. “We plan to offer products that reflect the needs created by consumers’ changing lifestyles.”

Lotte Department Store also said Sunday that it has collaborated with traditional restaurants with their own unique recipes to introduce Chuseok gift sets on the back of the growing popularity of searching for old restaurants and sharing photos of them on social media.

Doenjang, or fermented soybean paste, and crabs preserved in soy sauce are among several items Lotte has introduced in partnership with traditional restaurants that have been in the business for several generations.

One restaurant Lotte has partnered with is Gebang Sikdang, which is well-known for its crab, shrimp and abalone marinated in soy sauce. The restaurant has been in business for two generations and was listed in the Michelin Guide for the last two years.

“We have prepared a variety of sauces for this year’s Chuseok with the rising popularity of premium sauces made by master craftsmen,” said a spokesperson for Lotte Department Store. “We hope consumers will be able to enjoy the traditional taste of the old restaurants that can normally only be enjoyed when visiting them.”

Shinsegae Department Store is also focusing on premium foods on the back of the rise in demand for high-quality gift sets over the past three years based on its sales record. Shinsegae said it has expanded the number of premium gift sets from 16 last year to 21 this year.

BY JIN MIN-JI [jin.minji@joongang.co.kr]