Mega Food Market Opens in Northern Seoul... Homeplus Reopens Banghak Branch After Renovation

Fruit corner at Homeplus Mega Food Market Banghak branch.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] Homeplus is ushering in the era of ‘Homeplus Mega Food Market’ in the northern Seoul area with its Banghak branch. Following the renovation of seven stores including Incheon Ganseok and Seoul World Cup branches in February, the company is grand opening the 8th ‘Homeplus Mega Food Market’ at Banghak branch.

According to Homeplus on the 9th, the Banghak branch located in Dobong-gu, Seoul, is considered a prime location with a large commercial area and excellent accessibility. The store has a high proportion of foot traffic customers and is conveniently accessible by car due to its proximity to roads such as Madeul-ro, Banghak-ro, Dobong-ro, and Dongbu Expressway. It boasts excellent access to living infrastructure such as district offices and schools, and is situated in a prime location near Subway Line 1, attracting a concentrated flow of people, making it ideal for attracting new customers. Additionally, it serves as a key battleground area with a demand base of approximately 310,000 Dobong-gu residents and fierce competition from numerous distribution channels in the nearby commercial district.

Through this renewal, the Banghak branch transformed the entire basement level 2, spanning over 1,000 pyeong (approximately 3,300 square meters), into a food market. The store significantly enhanced the variety of food categories and focused on securing price competitiveness. The strategy is to achieve ‘taste differentiation’ that can only be experienced at Homeplus, capturing both taste and price.

In particular, the ‘World Food Market’ concept was emphasized. Upon customer order, ‘1855’ Black Angus steaks are freshly prepared on-site, and the ‘World Sauce’ corner gathers popular seasonings, while a diverse selection of exotic tropical fruits has been expanded.

The fresh categories such as seafood, livestock products, vegetables, and fruits were diversified. First, all livestock species sold at ‘The Meat Market’ include antibiotic-free items, greatly strengthening the lineup of ‘healthy livestock products.’ Differentiated products such as 1++ No.9 grade Korean beef, special cuts of Korean beef, and barbecue meats are offered in various options. Antibiotic-free pork handmade sausages, sous-vide pork belly, neck meat, and pork ribs are also sold tailored to customer preferences. Big-size fruits within the top 5%, new varieties, and seasonal fruits are carefully selected and introduced, and new vegetable stands such as the urban smart farm ‘City Farm’ and plating herbs have been newly established.

In the seafood category, the lineup has been expanded to include premium tuna sashimi and seasonal fresh fish sashimi, while the crab and shellfish section offering instant steaming services upon order has also been enlarged. The selection of foods favored by single-person households has also increased. A ‘Dining Street’ featuring around 800 products including ambient, refrigerated, and frozen convenience foods, imported desserts, and charcuterie has been created, and the ‘Ramen Museum’ with about 180 types of retro and exotic products was introduced for the first time. Additionally, a variety of small-portion fruits and vegetables suitable for a single meal have been offered.

The bakery and easy-cook items within ‘Food To Go’ have been placed prominently at the entrance of the food market. Focus was placed on highly purchased roast menus and hot deli products, and ‘Montblancier’ sells ‘Banghak Albread,’ a product exclusively planned with the famous Gangneung roastery ‘Baki Chu Coffee’ at the Banghak branch.

‘The Wine Cellar’ expanded its lineup from low-priced to premium lines, offering over 1,200 types of wine to broaden customer choices. Alcoholic beverages, which cannot be purchased online, remain a differentiated area for offline marts.

Synergy between online and offline channels will also be strengthened. In anticipation of increased online customers due to this renewal, Homeplus plans to increase the number of online delivery vehicles for the Banghak branch by 450% within the year. The strategy is to capture sales both online and offline by combining the strengths of offline mart ‘food’ with online channels.

Homeplus plans to open nine additional stores by the second half of the year, presenting a total of 17 stores as ‘Homeplus Mega Food Market’ this year, and will focus on growth through investment by expanding online delivery infrastructure.

Im Jaeheung, Head of Homeplus Sales Division, stated, “We are redesigning the core offline competitiveness of ‘customer experience’ and achieving meaningful results by leveraging our strengths. With the reborn Homeplus Mega Food Market from the customer’s perspective, we will present a new vision to the distribution industry and secure a competitive edge.”

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