[THE INVESTOR] E-mart‘s home meal replacement brand Peacock is entering the overseas market beginning with Hong Kong and the US this month, the discount retailer chain said on Sept. 21.

Although Peacock products have been sold overseas in the past through limited-time promotions, this is the first time that it has been officially delivered as a brand to overseas retail chains.

The company inked an agreement with Hong Kong supermarket chain Welcome in March to begin exporting Peacock products to 57 Welcome supermarkets starting Sept. 22.

The Peacock lineup in Welcome stores will include 107 ready-to-cook and ready-to-heat Korean dishes such as kimchijjigae (kimchi stew) and samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup). 

According to E-mart, the company hopes to reach 600 million won ($530,000) in export sales to Hong Kong this year, and 4 billion won next year.

E-mart also plans to bring its No Brand and E-brand lines to all of Welcome’s 338 stores in Hong Kong and Macau starting in October.

In the United States, Peacock will sell its products under the brand “Emart PK,” which will be produced locally through an original equipment manufacturing company in the US. 

Emart PK products will be sold in approximately 1,000 supermarkets in central and eastern US starting Monday, and will expand to 600-700 additional stores in western US next month. 

By Won Ho-jung/The Korea Herald (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)