Today's House Accelerates Construction Business Despite Losses

Operating Loss of 14.7 Billion Won... Back in the Red After One Year
Seven Investments Worth Over 20 Billion Won Carried Out Last Year
"Zero-Debt, No Liquidity Concerns... Investment Stance to Continue"

Bucket Place, the operator of the lifestyle platform Today’s House, has embarked on an aggressive strategy for future growth, choosing to accept losses in the process. The company returned to the red just one year after achieving profitability in 2024, but maintains that its focus remains on proactive investment.

According to industry sources on April 29, Bucket Place recorded its highest-ever sales last year, but still posted an operating loss. Revenue reached 321.5 billion won, up 11.7% from the previous year’s 287.9 billion won. However, the operating profit of 600 million won in 2024 turned into a loss of 14.7 billion won.

This result is attributed to the company’s wide-ranging investments, which included the establishment of subsidiaries, equity investments, and capital injections into overseas affiliates—totaling more than 20 billion won across seven projects in the past year alone. For example, 3 billion won was invested in its construction specialist subsidiary, Today’s House Construction, while 3.5 billion won was invested in steel furniture brand RARELOW, resulting in the acquisition of a 25% stake. An additional 3.9 billion won was injected into its Japanese subsidiary. Bucket Place explained that 2025 will serve as the inaugural year for building a foundation for long-term growth that spans both online and offline channels, and that it has expanded its proactive investments accordingly. The company is continuing to invest additional funds in certain subsidiaries this year as well.

The area that Bucket Place is placing particular emphasis on is construction. The Korea Research Institute for Construction Industry projects that the domestic building maintenance, repair, and remodeling market will expand to 44 trillion won by 2030. Bucket Place estimates the residential interior market alone to be worth 20 trillion won, with 90% of all contracts currently concentrated in offline channels.

The challenge, however, is that structural problems such as non-transparent pricing for construction and the wage structure have yet to be resolved. According to the Korea Consumer Agency, the number of consumer complaints related to interior services decreased from 420 cases in 2021 to 359 cases in 2022, but then rose again to 467 cases in 2023.

Today’s House Standard Homepage. Bucket Place

Bucket Place’s strategy is to address these issues through standardization and transparency. The company is strengthening its interior brokerage service, Today’s House Standard, which is based on standard contracts and estimates, and has secured partnerships with 400 firms. All construction projects are operated through a brokerage system; instead of charging brokerage fees, the company generates revenue from building material distribution and advertising, while partial construction projects are handled directly by its subsidiary, Today’s House Construction. This has enabled Bucket Place to establish a revenue model where building material sales, advertising, and direct construction sales all grow together.

The company has also invested in securing offline hubs. Following the launch of “Today’s House Bukchon” and “Today’s House Kitchen” last year, the “Interior Pangyo Lounge,” which opened in March this year, provides a space for customers to directly inspect materials and receive professional consultations, supplementing the limitations of online-based services. The strategy is to convert online browsing demand into offline experiences that lead to final contracts. Bucket Place plans to add more interior lounges in the Seoul metropolitan area this year as well.

Despite these aggressive investments, the company claims the financial burden is not significant. A Bucket Place representative stated, “We have a debt-free structure and cash equivalents of around 240 billion won, so we can continue our current investment strategy without liquidity concerns for the time being.”

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