Convenience Store Owners' Group on Minimum Wage Increase: "We Will Raise Prices on Late-Night Goods"

GS25, CU, 7-Eleven, Emart24 Franchise Owners Council

Opposition to Next Year's Minimum Wage Increase to 9,620 Won per Hour

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] In response to the decision to raise next year's minimum wage by 5.0% to 9,620 won per hour, convenience store owners are pushing to introduce a 'late-night surcharge' that increases product prices during nighttime hours.

The Korea Convenience Store Franchise Association (KCSFA) announced on the 5th that it decided at a meeting to request the introduction of a late-night surcharge from convenience store headquarters. The KCSFA is an organization composed of franchise owner associations from GS25, CU, 7-Eleven, and Emart24.

The KCSFA claims that it is becoming increasingly difficult to bear the labor cost burden caused by the minimum wage increase and plans to negotiate with convenience store headquarters to raise product prices during late-night hours.

The late-night operating hours defined in the Enforcement Decree of the Franchise Business Act are from midnight to 6 a.m. or from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. The KCSFA intends to increase product prices by about 5% during these hours.

The KCSFA also plans to request convenience store headquarters to expand late-night unmanned operations and to ask the government to abolish the weekly holiday allowance. Discussions regarding the introduction of the late-night surcharge will be conducted between each convenience store's franchise owner association and the headquarters.

An industry insider said, "If a formal request for consultation is received, it will be a matter for discussion," adding, "Legal review and other considerations will be necessary during the actual discussion process."

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