Models pose with Chuseok gift sets at a branch of Lotte Department Store. (Lotte Department Store) Lotte Department Store has expanded its Chuseok gift inventory and preorder period after advance sales more than doubled during the latest holiday season.The retailer is taking preorders for about 190 gift sets, including Korean beef, seafood, fruit and groceries, at discounts of up to 50 percent at stores nationwide through Sept. 3.With Chuseok arriving earlier this year, Lotte extended the preorder period and increased supplies of some popular products to as much as twice last year’s level.Demand for advance purchases has risen sharply. Preorder sales for last year’s Chuseok gift sets increased 95 percent on-year, while sales ahead of this year’s Seollal, or Lunar New Year, jumped 120 percent. Both set company records.Lotte increased supplies of grilling sets featuring hanwoo, or Korean beef, graded 1+ or higher by about 30 percent.New products include the 295,000 won ($213) Hanwoo & Salt set, which pairs Korean beef with five varieties of flavored salt from modern Korean restaurant Congdu.The retailer also expanded its selection of prepared seafood and increased discounts in the category by 5 to 10 percentage points. Products include individually packaged barley-aged dried yellow croaker and a precooked set featuring yellow croaker and red sea bream.Fruit offerings combine Korean produce with imported seasonal varieties. Inventory of apple-and-pear sets, among Lotte’s best-selling fruit gifts, has increased by more than 50 percent.Additional benefits are available through the Lotte Gift Club for individuals and corporate customers spending at least 1 million won on holiday food gifts. The membership program has attracted about 20,000 customers since its launch a year ago.“As preorder sales continue to set records every holiday season, we will strengthen our product selection and expand supplies,” said Yang Sung-jin, head of Lotte Department Store’s fresh food division.