CJ CheilJedang is expanding cooperation with Vietnam’s largest retail network as it steps up its push in the local food market, aiming to accelerate the spread of K-food through closer manufacturing and distribution collaboration.
The company said April 27 it will broaden its partnership with Bach Hoa Xanh, Vietnam’s No. 1 retailer. Bach Hoa Xanh is a supermarket chain under MWG, Vietnam’s largest retail group, and operates about 2,760 stores nationwide.
CJ CheilJedang has sold key products through the chain, including Bibigo dumplings and rolls, kimchi and seaweed. Sales through the channel have grown an average of 20% annually over the past four years, the company said. The expanded partnership is intended to drive joint growth and help modernize Vietnam’s food culture by combining CJ CheilJedang’s product development and cold-chain capabilities with Bach Hoa Xanh’s distribution infrastructure to strengthen competitiveness in processed foods.
The companies plan to widen the K-food lineup and co-develop products tailored to local consumer trends. They also plan to upgrade food safety and quality management systems and invest in refrigerated and frozen logistics. Marketing will include a dedicated CJ section within the retailer’s app and hands-on promotional events, in addition to in-store efforts.
CJ CheilJedang and Bach Hoa Xanh signed a memorandum of understanding in Hanoi on April 23 on expanding K-food and leading the processed foods market. The signing was held in connection with the Korea-Vietnam Business Forum. Jo Jaebeom, head of CJ CheilJedang’s Food Asia-Pacific headquarters, and Nguyen Duc Tai, MWG chairman, attended. Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeong-gwan and Vietnam’s Minister of Finance Ngo Van Tuan were also present, the company said.
CJ CheilJedang entered Vietnam in 2015 with a milling business and has expanded through localization, mergers and acquisitions, and building production bases. The company said last year’s sales were about seven times the 2016 level. It added that it holds the No. 1 market share in dumplings and kimchi in Vietnam after entering those categories early.
CJ CheilJedang said the partnership will help it expand distribution beyond its southern base around Ho Chi Minh City to northern Vietnam and smaller cities. It also plans to broaden its portfolio beyond frozen and chilled items to include shelf-stable products such as noodles and snacks, as well as chilled processed meat products.
A CJ CheilJedang official said the partnership with Bach Hoa Xanh will be an important step for Bibigo to become a “national brand” in Vietnam. The official said the company will continue expanding K-food by offering products and services tailored to local consumers’ lifestyles.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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