Big Korean Supermarkets Slash Prices for Summer Amid Heatwave and High Inflation
Creatrip Team
24 days ago
As an early and intense heatwave hits Korea and inflation keeps grocery costs high, three major supermarket chains—Emart, Lotte Mart, and Homeplus—launched simultaneous large discount campaigns to capture summer shoppers. Emart’s “Goraeit Festa” runs through July 5 with steep cuts on watermelon, peaches, pork belly, premium beef (hanwoo), abalone, and more, including weekend half-price peach deals and pork belly at 980 KRW per 100g. Lotte Mart’s first “Tongkeun Day” of the season offers 10,000 KRW off all watermelons and multiple one-day special prices on flagship watermelons, plus up to half-price packs on freshwater eel and Wando abalone. Homeplus emphasizes private-brand (PB) items and summer essentials in its “AI Price Stabilization Project” through July 8, discounting PB olive oil, frozen blueberries, bakery items, cooling bedding, swim gear and camping supplies. Retailers say the earlier-than-usual heat and stretched household budgets are shifting shopping patterns forward, prompting more aggressive summer promotions; competition may intensify if the heatwave and high prices persist into July.
