South Korea’s CJ CheilJedang Corp. announced on Tuesday that it launched the Korean food (K-food) brand Bibigo’s store on Amazon Germany, the largest e-commerce platform in the nation’s market.
Bibigo Store offers 19 products, including seaweed snacks, sauces, dumplings, and chicken.
It was the first time that seaweed snacks were introduced to Amazon Germany.
The company explains that they are receiving a positive response from local consumers interested in healthy snacks.
CJ CheilJedang has expanded its distribution channels in Germany since acquiring the frozen food company Mainfrost in 2018.
The company secured distribution deals with major supermarket chains, starting with Edeka in 2019, and following Globus and Tegut in 2022.
Last year, Bibigo dumplings, seasoned chicken, and seaweed were introduced to Rewe stores. Notably, Bibigo dumplings’ market share in Germany surged from 18% in 2021 to 48%.
The company’s European expansion extends beyond Germany. Bibigo products are now available in major Dutch supermarkets like Albert Heijn, Jumbo, and Hoogvliet, while Belgian consumers can find Bibigo dumplings in Delhaize and Carrefour stores.
This broader distribution network has translated to significant sales growth. CJ CheilJedang’s European food sales jumped 45% in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2023.
CJ CheilJedang established a local subsidiary in France last month.
The company held a sales event for Bibigo dumplings at the Aldi supermarket chain in Switzerland.
By Sul-Li Jun
sljun@hankyung.com
