CJ, CP Group partner to expand K-food in Southeast Asia

CJ CheilJedang Food Business Division Head Gregory Yep (left) and CP Extra CEO Tanit Chearavanont pose for a photo during the signing ceremony held at CJ CheilJedang’s headquarters in Seoul on Monday. (CJ CheilJedang)

CJ CheilJedang said Tuesday it has signed a strategic partnership with CP Axtra, the retail arm of Thailand’s largest conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group), to accelerate the distribution of K-food products across Southeast Asia.

The memorandum of understanding, signed Monday at CJ’s Seoul headquarters, commits the two companies to combining CJ’s product development capabilities with CP Axtra’s extensive retail network.

CP Group dominates Thailand’s retail sector. Its subsidiary CP Axtra operates Makro, a leading warehouse club chain, and Lotus’s, a major hypermarket chain. Together, they manage more than 2,700 outlets nationwide.

CJ views Southeast Asia, home to 690 million people and rapid economic expansion, as a priority market for global growth. It considers Thailand a strategic gateway for spreading Korean food culture to neighboring countries.

Under the partnership, CJ plans to expand the availability of its flagship items — including Bibigo fried noodles, kimchi, Korean street foods and sauces — across mainstream retail channels in Thailand. The collaboration also aims to expand distribution into other CP Group markets such as Malaysia and the Philippines.

“This partnership with Thailand’s top retailer provides a groundbreaking foothold for local growth,” a CJ CheilJedang official said. “As a global pioneer of K-food, we will continue our expansion through diverse collaborations.”

CJ established its Thai subsidiary in 2023 and already supplies major channels including Makro, Lotus’s and 7-Eleven.

The company’s global food business has grown rapidly, with overseas sales rising 77 percent from 3.15 trillion won ($2.14 billion) in 2019 to 5.58 trillion won in 2023. As of the third quarter, overseas revenue reached 4.31 trillion won — more than half of its total food sales.