Although normally celebrated at bars and clubs in South Korea, Halloween this year may look a little different as the pandemic puts paid to nights out partying. The retail industry is coming up with creative Halloween-themed treats and drinks to capture customers planning to celebrate at home. South Korean confectionery maker Orion dressed its signature Choco Pie in a Halloween costume this year. It launched a limited edition “Halloween Choco Pie,” using traditional flavors of H

Franchise stores grew in numbers during the coronavirus pandemic last year though sales remained nearly unchanged, a new report from corporate tracker CEO Score showed Wednesday. The number of franchise brand stores in 2020 increased by 4,559, up 4.5 percent compared to 2019, according to the report which drew data from the Fair Trade Commission. With a total of 105,837 stores operated by top franchise brands last year, the figure was a 11.1 percent jump compared to 2018 when the number stood

JTI Korea has released a new cigarette from its global tobacco brand MEVIUS, as part of efforts to expand its product lineup and provide more options for consumers. The new MEVIUS Sky Blue Longs has the same thickness as the existing MEVIUS Sky Blue, but comes with a 15-millimeter increase in length. The new product is designed for consumers who want a longer experience with MEVIUS‘ “unique soft taste” and “high product quality,” the company said Tuesday. The mov

Retail giant Shinsegae Group is in breach of the constitution over its workplace policy that prohibits employees from partaking in political activities, lawmaker Song OK-joo’s office said on Tuesday. Supermarket chain Emart has a workplace policy banning staff from distributing handouts or putting up banners and posters as well as staging a protest without permission from the company, a review of the company’s internal rules found. Rep. Song’s office found that a similar work

South Korea‘s top tobacco maker KT&G plans to build a forest as part of their efforts to help tackle the global climate crisis. The opening ceremony for the project took place last Wednesday with officials from KT&G, Eastern Province Forest Service and social enterprise Tree Planet. The new project is designed to contribute to carbon neutrality with trees planted to pull in carbon dioxide and fine dust, helping reducing greenhouse gas. Once the forest has been built, the plan wi

Starbucks Korea has decided to postpone its annual marketing event following backlash from staff against overwork. The “e-frequency” reward program has taken place each winter. Customers who have collected enough stickers can redeem them for items such as diaries or free drinks. But this year’s event was pushed back by two weeks, essentially cutting the promotion period short. The move comes after Starbucks baristas and other employees mobilized two trucks to express their f

Baristas and other employees of Starbucks Korea mobilized two trucks emblazoned with words of protest on Thursday, expressing their pent-up anger against the coffee chain and calling out treatment they consider inhumane. “Starbucks Partners are not expendable. Partners, who have raised their voices for the first time in 22 years, shall not be silenced,” read the message on the sides of both trucks, which drove past symbolic locations in Seoul for Starbucks Korea.  These inclu

Authorities in Mexico ordered a recall of a Buldak, or “fire chicken,” ramen product for misleading customers with its label, despite having “no trace of chicken” in it. The Office of the Federal Prosecutor for the Consumer announced the recall decision Monday there, concerning Buldak Ramen Cheese and 11 other instant noodle products from across nine manufacturers.  It targets a total of 129,937 packets distributed on shelves throughout the country. Included wer

Convenience store chain Seven Eleven has partnered with a local mobility software startup to use drones for product delivery, the company announced Wednesday. According to Seven Eleven, it will develop systems and infrastructure for delivery drones with Pablo Air, with plans to launch a pilot run later this year. The firm will open a new location outside of the greater Seoul area, possibly in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, which will act as a base for the drone’s first test flight. The

South Korean total energy company GS Caltex said Tuesday it has teamed up with home furnishing retail company Ikea Korea to launch a pickup service at one of its gas stations in Seoul’s Gangnam district, with plans to expand it across the country later this year. The move will cut the delivery fees to 19,000 won. Ikea delivery fees are relatively high because of the size and weight of the furniture products it sells. The new move comes as the number of online shoppers who use

South Korean instant noodle maker Samyang Foods is opening a branch in China, on the back of the worldwide popularity of its extremely spicy Buldak Ramen. The company said Tuesday the new office will launch in Shanghai in December, following the foundation of Samyang America in August. The China branch will focus on marketing and distribution of its products on the mainland, it said. China and the United States are key markets for the company, according to Samyang Foods, accounting for 45 p

Online shopping in South Korea jumped 16.8 percent on-year in August to 15.8 trillion won ($13.3 billion), the highest transaction amount ever recorded for the month since records began in 2001, data showed Tuesday. According to data from Statistics Korea, food delivery orders set a new record high of 2.4 trillion won, rising from the previous month when the figure stood at around 2.3 trillion won. Statistics Korea said the COVID-19 pandemic and this year’s Tokyo Olympics contributed to

International sales of Nongshim’s spicy Shin Ramyun surpassed local sales for the first time in the third quarter of this year, the South Korean foodmaker said Monday. Sales generated outside of South Korea accounted for 53.6 percent of the product‘s 690 billion won ($600 million) total sales in the first three quarters of the year. This is the first time that more Shin Ramyun was sold overseas since the product’s launch 35 years ago. Should the trend continue, Nongshim exp

Baristas and employees of Starbucks Korea are fuming over excessive workload, after a recent marketing event drew customers lining up for hours. 　  Saying the company has no consideration for the working conditions of its already-overworked staff, the employees said they may stage their first-ever collection action this week.   A staffer at the US-based coffee chain, who requested anonymity, confirmed to The Korea Herald on Monday that workers are planning a rally this week. The

South Korea’s major milk and dairy product providers are set to raise retail prices of their products next week. Namyang Dairy Products said Friday the company will increase retail prices of commercial milk products by an average 4.9 percent from Oct. 14. The firm said the prices of fermented and processed milk products will be risen 0.3 percent and 1.6 percent on average, respectively. For example, two packs of Delicious MilkGT, Namyang’s best-selling product, will be priced