Seoul Gangseo-gu Takes Initiative to Revitalize Alleyway Commercial Districts

Gangseo-gu Signs Business Agreement with Merchant Association and Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation... Launching 'Gangseo-gu Office Alley Market Leader Capacity Building Project' to Revitalize Local Economy

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) is promoting the ‘Gangseo-gu Office Alley Market Leader Capacity Building Project,’ which supports customized consulting for small business owners and improvements to store facilities.

This project was implemented to revitalize the local economy by strengthening the capabilities and competitiveness of merchants in the Gangseo-gu Office food alley, amid the shrinking commercial districts due to the impact of COVID-19.

On the 8th, Gangseo-gu Office, the Food Alley Merchants Association, and the Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation signed a business agreement focused on ‘capacity-building education’ and ‘facility improvement support’ to revitalize the Gangseo-gu Office food alley commercial district.

The alley market leader capacity-building education was decided to be conducted for 77 stores within the food alley, following many requests for professional consulting during consultations with the Merchants Association.

Through customized consulting for individual merchants, management diagnosis is provided along with customer management plans and improvement measures. It also offers advice on product and service development and SNS marketing to keep up with the rapidly changing times.

Consulting in specialized fields such as taxation, labor, and accounting, which can be difficult for sole proprietors, is also provided on a one-on-one basis.

Additionally, the Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation supports up to 1 million KRW per store for necessary improvements to the interior and exterior environment, such as signage, interior design, and heating/cooling systems, with the store only required to pay 10% of the cost.

The facility improvement support project is expected to enhance both merchant and customer satisfaction by providing a clean and pleasant environment through assistance in improving the interior and exterior of stores and supporting facilities necessary for business operations.

The district was selected for the ‘Alley Economy Recovery Support Public Project’ in May and is working to revitalize alley markets by implementing street improvement projects such as creating safety-themed areas and developing specialized brands, aiming for completion by the end of this year.

A district official said, “We intend to promote projects that are practically helpful to merchants through consultations with the Merchants Association,” adding, “We hope this project will become a good example of coexistence between the district and small business owners.”

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