BUSAN — Samjin Eomuk, a fish cake brand based in the southeastern port city of Busan, has opened its first store in a prime Shanghai shopping district as it accelerates its push into the Chinese market. The company plans to broaden its China business through a two-track strategy, promoting the distinctive taste of Korean-style fish cakes at its own stores while expanding into retail channels such as hypermarkets and convenience stores.
Samjinfood said on the 19th that it had formally opened the Samjin Eomuk East China Store No. 1 on the second basement level of the New World Daimaru department store on East Nanjing Road in Shanghai's Huangpu district. The 40-square-meter store sits near Nanjing Road, one of the city's main shopping streets, and the Bund, a major tourist attraction. The company aims to build brand recognition among local residents and office workers as well as tourists.
The store operates differently from the company's directly run outlets in South Korea. It uses a hot deli format in which food is cooked to order, offering nine items including fish cake croquettes and fish cake bars, along with two stir-fried fish cake dishes, one fish cake soup and two beverages. Menu items tailored to local tastes include cheese croquettes and rosé-sauce stir-fried fish cakes. The store also applies a standardized model designed for operating efficiency and future expansion.
During a soft-opening period, sales on some days reached twice the company's target, confirming early demand. Sales continued to climb after the National Day holiday, and the customer base broadened from mainly tourists to nearby residents and office workers.
The company is expanding its distribution network at the same time. Through local import and distribution partners, Samjinfood supplies its boneless fish cake bars to Costco, Hema and Lawson. Lawson sells the bars at about 1,300 stores in Shanghai and nearby areas, and at the end of September the company began selling bulk packages at two Costco stores in Shanghai. The products are also on display at Hema stores, and the company is in talks on additional listings with Pangdonglai, an inland Chinese retailer.
Samjinfood plans to use the East China store as a base for accumulating data on local consumer preferences and store operations. It also aims to open additional stores in China this year. The goal is to build a local consumer base for Korean-style fish cakes by growing both the store business and retail channels, and to extend operations beyond Shanghai into inland markets.
"We will continue to introduce products that reflect local consumer tastes and market characteristics to strengthen our brand's competitiveness in the Chinese market," said Park Yong-jun, chief executive of Samjinfood.