Frozen chicken sales heat up as delivery prices ruffle feathers

CJ CheilJedang's Gourmet Soba Chicken Seasoning [CJ CHEILJEDANG]

Sales of frozen chicken products at supermarkets are enjoying an uptick as popular fried chicken franchises like Genesis BBQ continue to raise prices.

People are opting to cook chicken at home rather than order it, which can cost up to 30,000 won ($22) per single order including the delivery fee.

Frozen chicken manufacturers have also witnessed revenue growth with related products in the first quarter of this year. Our Home and Harim saw an increase of 17 percent and 29.3 percent, respectively, from the previous year.

CJ CheilJedang said Wednesday that its Gourmet Soba Chicken Seasoning nugget product logged over 3 billion won in revenue in the two months since its launch in March.

The company forecasts a continued increase in revenue, as it has expanded its distribution channels to three major supermarkets since May 15. It was initially available through the company's official CJ The Market and other small markets.

The Gourmet Soba Chicken lineup saw sales increase by 88 percent from March to April compared to a year earlier.

Sales of CJ CheilJedang's entire chicken product range from January to March of this year also grew 2.5 times from the previous year.

Meanwhile, major Korean chicken franchise Genesis BBQ is raising the prices of 23 items on its menu starting from Thursday. Its flagship Golden Olive Oil Fried Chicken is increasing by 3,000 won to 23,000 won. The prices of selected items will go up by an average of 6.3 percent, the company said Tuesday.

BY CHOI HAE-JIN [choi.haejin@joongang.co.kr]