CJ Group has set a goal of generating 12 trillion won ($8.47 billion) in annual sales in North America by 2028 through synergies among its Korean food, entertainment and beauty businesses. CJ unveiled its mid- to long-term North American business strategy at an event in Los Angeles on Saturday (local time), outlining plans to leverage the growing popularity of K-culture to expand its presence in the region. The Korean retail and entertainment conglomerate’s sales in the region exceeded 8 trillion won last year, more than 10 times the approximately 800 billion won recorded in 2017. Its compound annual growth rate over the eight-year period was about 33 percent, the company said. “We will accelerate our expansion in the North American market by building an ecosystem that connects the popularity of the K-wave to K-lifestyle experiences,” CJ Group CEO Heo Min-hoe said, referring to the global spread of Korean culture. CJ began expanding its presence in the United States in 1995 with an investment in U.S. film studio DreamWorks. The group later expanded its business portfolio through a series o
