Unique Convenience Store Strategy... Emart24 X Smoothie King, Achieving 100 Stores

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] The combined store of Emart24 and Smoothie King surpassed its 100th location last month.

According to Emart24 on the 12th, as of the 10th, the total number of Emart24 X Smoothie King stores is 105. After completing tests on about 20 directly operated stores in early March this year, the franchise model was actively expanded, resulting in an increase of 80 franchise stores. On weekdays, this means that one new franchise store opened every day.

Emart24 analyzes that the high operational efficiency expected relative to startup costs has driven the positive response from franchisees.

The Emart24 X Smoothie King franchise model involves adding Smoothie King within about 3 to 4 pyeong (approximately 10 to 13 square meters) of counter space inside a convenience store, significantly reducing startup costs compared to opening a regular Smoothie King store.

Since profits occur when selling 5 to 10 smoothies per day, the burden on business owners for additional startups is relatively low. By selling smoothies priced between 4,900 and 6,900 KRW at convenience stores, there is increased potential for attracting new customers and raising the average spending per customer, thereby generating additional revenue. In fact, as smoothies have established themselves as a differentiated beverage at Emart24, some of the 80 franchise stores sell more than 30 smoothies daily on average.

About 30% of all stores are located in provincial areas, indicating an active trend of expansion outside metropolitan regions. While existing standalone Smoothie King stores were mainly opened in metropolitan hub commercial districts, the introduction of the Emart24 X Smoothie King franchise model has enabled openings in various provincial locations.

Gu Beom-mo, manager of the Emart24 Gyeongnam Hapcheon branch, said, “Many customers show interest in being able to enjoy Smoothie King, which was hard to find in Hapcheon County, at a convenience store,” adding, “Smoothie sales of about 5 to 10 cups on weekdays and 15 to 20 cups on weekends help secure additional revenue.”

Jo Taek-ju, the person in charge of Smoothie King at Emart24, said, “With the summer season approaching, when beverage sales increase, the demand for franchise startups aiming to introduce Smoothie King in their stores is rising,” and added, “If this trend continues, we expect to expand the number of stores to 300 within the year.”

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