Supermarket chain Homeplus is promising to bring fresh food to dinner tables in Korea with a new campaign called “Basis for Freshness,” according to the company Wednesday.

The name of the campaign is a play on the Korean title of the popular math textbook “The Art of Mathematics,” promoting an image that Homeplus’ fresh food distribution process follows the best practices in terms of sourcing, packaging, delivery and display.

Since last year, Homeplus has been focusing on strengthening its competitiveness in fresh foods. The company said that by focusing on quality and freshness, it hoped to differentiate itself from other retailers that compete based on price and delivery services.

The chain’s investment in fresh food over the past year led to an about 15 percent on-year increase in sales in the category from March to mid-April, according to the company.

The company has been improving the entire process of harvesting, packaging, delivery and display, up to the point a product reaches consumers’ tables. Its measures include a detailed analysis of consumer complaints about each food item, return rates as well as rejection rates.

Through interviews with buyers and partner companies, the company came up with points that could be improved, and applied them to each distribution stage after verifying them through on-site surveys, consumer surveys and expert feedback.

“Of the things that supermarkets do better than online malls, the category that Homeplus is most confident in is fresh food,” a Homeplus official said.

“For our customers, sharing a meal at the table with their family is the most precious time of the day, and Homeplus’ core business strategy is to provide the best enjoyment for that,” said Homeplus’ Chief Executive Kim Sang-hyun. 

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)