Lotte Wellfood’s Pepero is forecast to generate annual sales of about 2,415억원 this year (approximately 241.5 billion won), signaling strong demand both at home and abroad. Exports are expected to reach around 900억원 (about 90 billion won), up roughly 30% from last year’s 701억원.

This growth is driven by the global expansion of the Pepero Day celebration. Since 2020, Lotte Wellfood has pursued a global integrated marketing campaign to spread Pepero Day worldwide. This year, the company has tapped Stray Kids as its official global ambassador, leveraging TV ads, large outdoor campaigns, and subway events to broaden its international reach.

In Korea, events like an employee-driven “Find the Pepero hidden by Stray Kids” train on Seoul’s Subway Line 2 have targeted the MZ generation, complemented by a variety of festive packaging. The Stray Kids collaboration packages reportedly sold out faster than expected, with some retailers experiencing stockouts, such as at Lotte Mart Zetaplex Seoul Station.

Global consumer participation programs have also delivered results. Since May, Pepero AGENT:P has mobilized global consumers as brand ambassadors, and this year the program expanded to attract 2,306 applicants from 107 countries. Over five months, contestants completed tournament-style content missions, and the 11 finalists who were chosen visited Korea for a 3-night, 4-day stay to shoot content featuring landmarks like Gyeongbokgung Palace and Lotte World Tower, promoting the brand’s message of “sharing.”

Pepero was named the first global mega-brand at a meeting in Warsaw last September, where Shin Dong-bin, the chairman of Lotte, urged leveraging Korea–Japan collaboration to nurture a mega-brand with overseas sales exceeding 1 trillion won. To support this vision, Lotte Wellfood opened a Pepero production line at its Haryana plant in India in July, signaling a renewed focus on global expansion. A company official stated that Pepero Day has become a celebration enjoyed by global consumers beyond Korea and that the company will continue broadening consumer touchpoints in various countries to grow into a true global brand.