Emart Undertakes Renovation of 28 Stores Over 2 Years: "Double-Digit Sales Growth at All Locations"

'Grocery Innovation' Including Product and Store Space Optimization, Variety Diversification
Emart Wolgye Branch Tops Company Sales After Renewal, Sharp Increase in 3040 Customers
Emart Gyeonggi Gwangju Branch Renewal Opening on the 26th
Plan to Renew About 10 Locations This Year

Emart Gyeonggi Gwangju Branch, reopening with a renewal on the 26th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] Emart's 'Customer-Centric Store Remodeling Strategy' (Renewal), which began with the Seoul Wolgye branch in 2020, is receiving positive responses from customers. Following the renewal of 9 stores in 2020 and 19 stores in 2021, Emart plans to renovate a total of 10 stores this year as well.

On the 26th, Emart announced the opening of its fourth renewed store of the year, the Gyeonggi Gwangju branch. Emart Gyeonggi Gwangju branch is located in an area where large-scale housing is planned near the store by 2024, and the renewal was proactively carried out to provide various benefits to customers in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.

Within a 5 km radius of the Gyeonggi Gwangju branch, approximately 7,000 households are scheduled for large-scale move-ins by 2024. Accordingly, Emart has introduced specialized lifestyle essential stores that concentrate Emart’s experience, such as Electromart, Toy Kingdom, and At Home, to satisfy a diverse range of customers from the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) to older age groups.

The grocery store has also undergone significant changes. The fresh food section has been transformed into a 'storytelling experiential store' that customers can experience with all five senses. Through diversification of varieties, unique fruits that can only be found at Emart have been prepared, and the store, which was previously a display space for product sales, has been changed into a place that delivers interesting information from the customer's perspective. Various food specialty zones such as the integrated liquor store Wine & Liquor and bakery are also introduced.

The core keyword of Emart’s renewal is 'rebirth from the customer's perspective.' The plan is to provide customer-oriented services through comprehensive innovation and spatial reorganization of existing stores, transforming them into stores where customers want to visit and stay longer. While online-based retailers emphasize low prices and convenience, Emart has focused on 'experience,' a differentiating point of offline retailers, through renewal. The focus is on providing a space where customers can enjoy a pleasant shopping experience with their families beyond just product sales.

The effects of the renewal appeared immediately. A representative store is Emart Wolgye branch (renewed and opened in May 2020). Analyzing the sales of Wolgye branch in its second year after renewal, last month’s sales increased by about 114% compared to April 2020 before the renewal. In particular, the proportion of young customers in their 30s and 40s increased. Analyzing customers visiting Wolgye branch and renewed stores last month, compared to April 2020 before renewal, customers in their 30s increased by 50.6%, those in their 40s by 49.8%, and customers in their 20s also increased by about 35%.

Through this, Emart Wolgye branch ranked first in Emart’s store sales in 2021. Before renewal, Wolgye branch was ranked between 5th and 10th, but it leapt to first place in Emart’s overall sales through renewal. In addition, all 28 stores renewed so far have achieved double-digit sales growth compared to before renewal. In particular, Byeollae branch saw sales increase by 94.8% compared to before renewal.

Lee Dooseop, Emart’s Development Manager, said, "Through store renewal, Emart is providing the most necessary services from the customer’s perspective, drawing positive responses from many customers," and added, "We will continue to strive to provide enjoyable shopping experiences that can be felt in offline retail through various transformations."

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