[E-Daily Reporter SHIN MIN JOON ] A wellness craze is sweeping the retail industry as more consumers seek to incorporate health management into their daily lives. This trend is attributed to the growing number of consumers who not only take dietary supplements but also prioritize health when selecting everyday food and beverage products. The retail industry is adopting a strategy to differentiate its products and stores to attract customers and secure new growth engines.

According to the retail industry on the 6th, Shinsegae Co.,Ltd is expanding and renovating the Wellness Zone on the 11th floor of its Myeongdong store and strengthening its product lineup to include health supplements, low-sugar foods, and wellness desserts. The 11th floor of the Myeongdong store has previously focused on a space dedicated to K-Food to meet the shopping demands of foreign tourists. Through this reorganization, Shinsegae Duty Free has reflected consumer trends such as “slow aging”—aiming to delay aging through healthy lifestyle habits—and “Healthy Pleasure”—enjoying the process of managing one’s health.

Shinsegae Co.,Ltd has added 14 domestic and international brands to its existing lineup of approximately 200 food and health supplement brands. Among these, eight brands are being introduced exclusively for the first time. The selection includes products from Juyoung NS—known for MBP for bones and chondroitin for joints—as well as the omega-3 brand Nordic Naturals, the Australian probiotic brand LifeSpace, and the German dietary supplement brand Rotbecschen.

Shinsegae Co.,Ltd has also diversified its dessert lineup. It has introduced the pastry shop Taegukdang, the low-sugar and keto food brand MyNormal, and the freeze-dried taffy brand Pasak. It is also introducing the British snack brand Forest Piece and the low-sugar snack brand Diablo. From January to May of this year, sales of food and health supplements at the Shinsegae Co.,Ltd Duty Free Myeongdong store increased by more than 130% compared to the same period last year. Sales at the Incheon Airport store, which previously revamped its Wellness Zone, also increased 12.4 times compared to before the renovation.

Following the opening of a food zone at its Incheon Airport store last April—which featured an expanded selection of desserts and wellness products—Shinsegae Co.,Ltd launched a dedicated wellness section on its online store in August, offering approximately 30,000 items. With this renovation of the Myeongdong store, the company aims to strengthen its competitiveness in wellness products across its airport, downtown, and online channels.

The convenience store industry is also expanding sales of health-related products by leveraging its nationwide store network. This move targets demand from customers seeking to purchase dietary supplements and healthy ready-to-eat meals at nearby stores. E-MART 24 recently opened the “All Day Care Lab,” a store specializing in health, beauty, and fashion, in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The store features a expanded selection of health and beauty products—such as dietary supplements and cosmetics—alongside standard convenience store items.

Sales and foot traffic during the initial opening period exceeded the average for all stores. Over the six days from the 16th to the 21st of last month, average daily sales were approximately 1.9 times the average for all E-Mart 24 stores, and average daily foot traffic was approximately twice as high. Smoothie sales were approximately 9 times the average for all stores, while salad sales were approximately 35 times the average. CU, operated by BGF Retail(282330), began selling health supplements at approximately 6,000 stores nationwide last July and has since expanded the number of stores carrying these products to over 10,000 as of the first half of this year. GS25 also sells health supplements at approximately 5,000 stores.

Demand for wellness is also driving services linked to exercise. CU operates “CU Running Members,” which integrates a running platform with its proprietary app, Pocket CU. The program provides customers who finish a run with a voucher for bottled water and offers the chance to receive beverages or protein bars upon reaching certain distances. This strategy aims to expand engagement with customers who enjoy exercise and drive them to visit stores.

#CJ Corp. Olive Young is expanding its product lineup—from health supplements to snacks and beverages—through Olive Better, its wellness-focused platform. As of the end of last month, the number of products available online and offline had grown from about 13,000 at launch to approximately 20,000. The company has also expanded its offline presence to four locations: Gwanghwamun, Gangnam Station, Starfield Anseong, and COEX Mall.

Demand for health foods is also growing in online grocery shopping. Kurly operates a dedicated health food section, featuring vitamins, probiotics, protein products, and inner beauty items. From January through September of this year, transaction volume in the health food category increased by approximately 23% compared to the same period last year. Within this category, transaction volume for health foods for infants and children rose by 92%, while sales of nutritional supplements and inner beauty products increased by 66% and 41%, respectively.

The home shopping industry is expanding its sales channels beyond TV by promoting its own wellness products. LOTTE SHOPPING CO., LTD. introduced its own beverage brand, L:Bottle. NS Home Shopping launched “Enwells,” its private-label line of health functional foods. GS Shop expanded the distribution channels for “Simple Bio,” its private-label health functional food brand, to include the corporate supermarket (SSM) chain GS The Fresh.

As more companies enter the market, competition to differentiate themselves is expected to intensify. According to the Korea Health Functional Food Association, the domestic health functional food market totaled 5.9626 trillion won last year, marking a modest 0.2% increase from the previous year. Amid this slowdown in the health functional food market’s growth, retailers are expanding their wellness businesses into snacks, beverages, and fitness-related services.

A retail industry official stated, “Wellness is a sector where the scope of consumption is expanding beyond health functional foods to encompass food and lifestyle in general,” adding, “The retail industry is enhancing the competitiveness of ‘K-Wellness’ shopping by introducing differentiated brands and products.”