Impress and Sajo revolutionize the South Korean market

With the new Sajo packaging, Impress has come up with something different for the South Korean market, traditionally conservative in its approach to packaging. Since 10 July 2004, Sajo tuna fillets have been presented in a newly-designed printed aluminium bowl with Easy Peel® lid. The first example of prestige packaging to hit Asia, it underpins the image of quality and freshness that the South Korean canners want to convey. The result: a sales boom and happy consumers.

A traditional Asian market...until the Sajo and Impress partnership was formed.

The Asian market, particularly that of South Korea, was characterized until recently by a somewhat conservative approach to packaging: most canned foods offered no added value and traditional steel cans were still the preferred form of packaging. The reason for this most probably lay in the influence of Asia's gastronomic tradition combined with the fact that Asia was somewhat removed from the new standards emerging in the West.

But things have moved on, and quickly, for two reasons. Firstly: new laws passed three years ago in South Korea to underpin packaging safety, particularly on opening. At that time, Impress had approached its main Korean customers to offer them new lids compliant with the new legal requirements, but most put off responding. Secondly: a study was conducted by Sajo, one of Korea's leading tuna brands. Anxious to increase its share of a fiercely competitive market sector, Sajo decided to revamp its product range and wanted to support the changes with an advertising campaign, and above all with new packaging that would catch the consumer's eye while conveying the image of quality and freshness.

The first prestige packaging on the South Korean market
So six months ago, Sajo approached Impress's Seafood division with a request to produce a revolutionary new form of packaging for its premium quality tuna fillets for the South Korean market.

Impress worked flat out and in less than three months came up with a solution that proved their responsiveness and their capacity for innovation: a totally new kind of can never before filled on South Korean soil. On 10 July 2004, the new packaging appeared in the supermarkets: a two-part, colour-printed aluminium bowl with an Easy Peel® lid.

Sajo's sales took off. There are a number of reasons for this success: in addition to the inherent properties of aluminium that appeal to manufacturers (reduced weight making it easy to transport, no risk of corrosion, etc), the Impress bowl used by Sajo has many aspects that appeal to the consumer (glossy 6-colour printing on aluminium which has a particularly attractive look and feel, a peel-off lid which guarantees effortless, easy opening and evokes quality and freshness) - essential ingredients to stand out in the fish market.

All in all, a win-win combination, for the consumer of course, but also for Sajo who have increased sales, and for the Seafood division of Impress which, with Easy Peel®, is opening up new opportunities in the Land of the Morning Calm… and throughout the Asian market.

For further Information, please contact:

Marie de Fouchier : Talents et Compagnie
t: +33 1 56 89 56 52
f: +33 1 56 89 56 50
e: fouchier@talentscompagnie.com

Impress is a leading international company focused on metal packaging. It is the worldwide leader in the seafood can market, European leader in cans for paints & coatings, European leader in cans for dry foods, and second in the European food can market.

Impress is based in Deventer in the Netherlands and has a worldwide turnover of 1.3 billion euros. It employs over 7,000 people in 42 facilities operating out of 16 countries, in Europe, North America, Japan, and the Seychelles.

Discover Impress on: www.impressgroup.com