Emart and Lotte Mart are limiting shoppers to a single 30-egg carton of discounted product through June 10, the retail industry said on Thursday. Both chains are selling their trays as premium domestic grade for about 6,000 won per tray.
The promotions are jointly subsidized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to ease pressure on household grocery bills. Warehouse chain Traders Wholesale Club normally imposes no cap but has begun restricting customers to two cartons depending on store stock.
The price surge has been driven by tightening supply in the wake of a highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak.
The national average retail price for 30 premium domestic eggs reached 7,472 won the previous day, up 4.1 percent from a month earlier, according to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation. Brisk demand for cheaper eggs has left Emart's online stock temporarily sold out.
Emart and Lotte Mart are now considering selling fresh eggs imported from Thailand under a government scheme to stabilize prices — a first for both chains, which have sold only domestic eggs until now. Rival Homeplus began offering Thai and US eggs in April, while Lotte Super introduced US eggs last month.
The government, meanwhile, plans to import a total of 31.23 million fresh eggs this year and will for the first time bring in Brazilian eggs to diversify its sourcing, with domestic production expected to recover from July as laying-hen flocks rebuild.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.