Department stores to sell U.S. beef next month

Local department stores are preparing to sell U.S. beef as early as next month, industry officials said yesterday.

Officials at Lotte Department Store said that the retailer is consulting with partner firms to begin selling U.S. beef before April.

If the procedures go smoothly, the timing of the selling could be as early as March, company officials said.

Other rivals like Hyundai Department Store and Shinsegae Department Store are taking similar steps.

Hyundai is to release U.S. beef imports on the shelves in the first quarter, according to Hyundai officials.

"Actually, the sale of U.S. beef will not really help us raise revenue, since the proportion of U.S. beef out of the total beef will be less than 10 percent," an official at Lotte Department Store said.

"We`re just trying to widen consumer choices. Lotte will sell premium parts of U.S. beef," he said.

Sources said department stores plan to announce the selling of U.S. beef imports through newspaper advertisements, and monitor public sentiment over the sensitive issue to officially sell U.S. beef. The department stores` recent moves follow the release of U.S. beef at discount store chains in November.

An E-Mart store in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, had been busted for false beef labeling in December.

Recent industry data showed that U.S. beef imports fell for two straight months in November and December, partly due to the weak won against the U.S. dollar.

By Kim Yoon-mi



(yoonmi@heraldm.com)