Lotte vs Binggrae Double Down on Legacy Ice Cream Brands as Market Slows
Creatrip Team
20 days ago
South Korea’s ice cream market is cooling due to low birthrates and shifting consumer habits, prompting Lotte Wellfood and Binggrae to reinforce long-standing brands before summer. Lotte is pushing premium upgrades and category extensions for classics like World Cone (월드콘), Dwaejiba (돼지바) and Seolleim (설레임), introducing items such as a premium World Cone and a monaka-style Dwaejibapppang (돼지바빵) that sold 5.4 million units in two months and drew large pop-up crowds among young consumers. Lotte says ice cream sales rose about 10% in May–June and is focusing this year on premium lines after expanding low-sugar offerings earlier. Binggrae, home to Melona (메로나), Bungeoppang Samanco (붕어싸만코) and Together (투게더), is emphasizing low-sugar variants and overseas expansion, including leveraging the recently merged Haitai Ice Cream lineup for exports. Industry data show overall retail ice cream sales fell 5.47% year-on-year in early 2025; legacy brand sales declined while premium Häagen-Dazs grew. Both companies face margin pressure—higher costs and one-off expenses led to falling operating profits despite revenue gains—so they are reinterpreting familiar brands and targeting new consumer segments to defend profitability.
