[Distribution Hot People] Seoul Native Who Couldn't Understand Dialects Opens Hearts at 57 Places in Gangwon-do After 3 Years

Yun Wooseop Emart24 Store Developer
Challenging New Store Openings in Gangwon-do... Even More Valuable Achievements
Flexible Franchise Model Without Mandatory Operating Hours or Royalties Also Plays a Role

Yoon Woo-seop, Store Developer at Emart24.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] There is someone who opened an astonishing 57 stores in Gangwon-do, considered a challenging area for new convenience store openings, in just three years. The person is Yoon Wooseop, a Store Developer (SD) at Emart24. This achievement came from daily visits to remote mountain paths and clustered mountain villages, working tirelessly day and night with prospective franchisees.

SDs are the first headquarters employees that prospective franchisees meet when preparing to start a convenience store business, acting as a bridge between the franchisees and the headquarters. Through consultations with prospective franchisees, they introduce stores that match the desired business area, budget, and expected profits, and handle franchise contract signings.

In an interview with Asia Economy on the 4th, Yoon SD said, "The most common question I heard in Gangwon-do over the past three years was 'Where are you from?'" Although he is now regarded as the 'Store Development King' within the company, when he first took charge of the Yeongdong region of Gangwon-do in April 2017, he faced great difficulties in store development due to the exclusive local atmosphere toward outsiders.

Yoon SD said, "As a native of Seoul, I struggled to understand even simple words referring to places or facilities because of the Gangwon-do dialect," adding, "Explaining and persuading prospective franchisees about the commercial districts and locations where stores would be situated was no easy task." However, Yoon SD did not give up.

Generally, SDs spend at most two to three months persuading prospective franchisees for store development, but Yoon SD maintained continuous contact and persuasion for at least six months to a year. He listened to their concerns, shared soju drinks with them, and sometimes became closer than family, like a father-son relationship.

Yoon SD said, "Although locals are exclusive toward outsiders, once they warm up to you, they try to help as much as possible," adding, "They even introduced acquaintances from various areas, and there was a time I drove 700 km in a day because of that."

Thanks to these efforts, Yoon SD was able to open a total of 57 stores in Gangwon-do from April 2017 to March this year. While it usually takes five years for an SD to develop 50 stores, his persistence and sociability allowed him to develop over 50 stores in half the time.

This achievement is especially valuable considering Gangwon-do's large area and low population density, which make new convenience store openings difficult. The company also recognized his contributions by awarding him the Excellence Award in the second half of 2017 and the Best Award in the third quarter of 2018.

Emart24's franchise model, which offers relatively high autonomy compared to other convenience store brands, also played a significant role in developing stores in Gangwon-do. Yoon SD explained, "Due to the characteristics of the local community, many prospective franchisees had long operated supermarkets or retail stores," adding, "The lack of obligation for 24-hour operation and the fact that royalties do not increase even if sales rise were attractive factors for franchisees who value autonomy." In fact, 30 out of the 57 stores Yoon SD developed were operated by franchisees who previously ran retail stores.

After transferring his responsibility from the Yeongdong region to the Yeongseo region of Gangwon-do, Yoon SD aims to achieve his 100th store development there. He said, "Now, one of the most common questions I hear is 'Are you from Gangwon-do?' which shows I have come to love the region," adding, "I will continue to strive to build a relationship where both headquarters and franchisees can smile together."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.