CU Opens Convenience Store Operated by People with Developmental Disabilities in Collaboration with NHN

An employee is stocking products at CU Good Friends Mart. (Photo by BGF Retail)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] BGF Retail, the operator of CU, announced on the 8th that it has partnered with NHN to open the CU Good Friends Mart, a store staffed by employees with developmental disabilities.

The CU Good Friends Mart is a convenience space located within the Play Museum building in Pangyo Techno Valley, where six employees with developmental disabilities, hired as full-time staff by NHN Good Friends, a subsidiary-type standard workplace for people with disabilities under NHN, will work.

BGF Retail fully agrees with the Good Friends Mart initiative to provide quality jobs for people with developmental disabilities and completely redesigned the store based on advice from both internal and external experts.

The most notable feature of the CU Good Friends Mart is that it is a 100% self-checkout store. Customers can conveniently scan and pay for products themselves at four self-checkout counters without waiting.

This allows employees with developmental disabilities to focus on product display, restocking, and cleanliness management by applying CU’s self-checkout expertise.

For the first time, a trolley usable inside the store is introduced for the developmental disability staff. The trolley serves as an aid to help staff safely move products without the risk of dropping them.

Accordingly, the space between display shelves has been expanded by 30% compared to regular stores to ensure comfortable movement for staff using the trolley.

Additionally, considering the nature of developmental disabilities that require ongoing periodic training, the rest and training areas for staff have also been expanded. Since the store’s opening, store consultants regularly visit to check on any inconveniences experienced by staff and managers.

Choi Min-geon, head of BGF Retail’s social contribution department, said, “By combining the know-how of BGF Retail and NHN, we were able to create a space and system where employees with developmental disabilities can safely participate in economic activities. Going forward, BGF Retail will continue to contribute to creating a healthy working environment where everyone can become independent members of society.”

Meanwhile, since 2015, BGF Retail has operated the ‘CU Together’ program in partnership with the Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities, hiring people with developmental disabilities as CU staff. It is the only company in the industry operating convenience stores and food manufacturing facility job experience centers at more than 20 developmental disability training centers nationwide.

Currently, BGF Retail employs about 30 people with developmental disabilities as staff at directly managed stores, and in recognition of these efforts, it received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Employment of Persons with Disabilities in 2017.

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