European Marketing Distribution (EMD) has announced a new associate member, Lotte from South Korea, one of the leading players in the Asian markets. This partnership is set to strengthen EMD’s position in the industry and contribute to its ongoing growth and development.
Founded in 1989, EMD represents and consolidates the interests of 12 companies across three continents. Its primary projects include the international procurement of Private Label products and the introduction of its extensive network of suppliers to its global members.
With the addition of Lotte to its ranks, EMD is gaining even more momentum. The Lotte Group is a conglomerate with two headquarters in Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, South Korea. It started out as a manufacturer of chewing gum, chocolate, and ice cream, and has now expanded into various industries such as retail, chemicals, construction, tourism, and services. The company operates in 30 countries and has a total turnover of over 50 billion euros, with a significant focus on food, beverages, and retail. Its portfolio also includes well-known European confectionery brands such as Guylian from Belgium.
The partnership between EMD and Lotte will provide new opportunities for both parties to source and market products in different regions. EMD member companies will now have access to Lotte’s purchasing teams, while Lotte will work closely with EMD’s headquarters in Pfäffikon, Switzerland to develop new opportunities in international sourcing and sales markets.
Lotte has firmly established itself as one of the prominent players in South Korea, with over 1,100 stores and an annual turnover of approximately 12 billion euros. Its main focus in South Korea is on food, beverages, and retail, with 60 department stores, 161 hypermarkets, and 400 supermarkets. Lotte also has a joint venture with convenience store specialist 7-Eleven, which operates nearly 14,000 stores in South Korea. The company’s objective in partnering with EMD is to expand its private label range, which currently accounts for 6% of its total product range.
“We warmly welcome Lotte as our new associate member and look forward to a successful collaboration,” says Philippe Gruyters, Managing Director of EMD. “EMD was our partner of choice from the very beginning,” adds Sunghyun Kang, CEO of Lotte Mart and Lotte Super.
The company name “Lotte” is inspired by the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and his main character Lotte in the novel “The Sorrows of Young Werther”.
EMD, headquartered in Pfäffikon, Switzerland, has been a recognized partner in the consumer goods industry since 1989. It specializes in developing and procuring efficient and sustainably produced private label concepts for the benefit of consumers across three continents. The EMD head office also supports and facilitates global partnerships in on-top agreements with the largest brand manufacturers. Including Lotte, EMD member companies currently represent an accumulated external retail turnover of over 220 billion euros.
The member companies of EMD are active in Australia, Norway, Austria, Portugal, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Denmark, South Korea, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. In addition to South Korea and Japan, Lotte is also present in China, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
EMD also partners with the Belgian Colruyt Group for international procurement of private label products. Colruyt is active in France and Luxembourg, in addition to its home country.
For further information:
Donati & Rosmanith
Uwe Rosmanith
Triq ir-Rumani, 3
Xlendi, XLN1431
Malta
Phone: +49 171 9706644
uwe@rosmanith.de
rosmanith@bettercommunications.mt
