Ministop Signs Business Agreement to Introduce 'Fresh Store' Meat and Fresh Food Vending Machines

(From left) Hyun Woong-jae, CEO of Smart Kiosk; Shim Kwan-seop, CEO of Ministop; and Lee In-hong, Executive Director of Global Networks, are signing a business agreement for the introduction of Fresh Store in the Ministop conference room located in Bangbae-dong, Seoul, on the 5th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Convenience store Ministop announced on the 6th that it has signed a business agreement with Smart Kiosk Co., Ltd. and Global Networks Co., Ltd. to introduce the meat and fresh food vending machine ‘Fresh Store’.

‘Fresh Store’ is a meat and fresh food vending machine that offers various cuts of pork and beef in frozen and refrigerated conditions, packaged in small portions suitable for the main customer base of convenience stores, which are one- to two-person households.

The business agreement ceremony was held on the 5th at the Korean Ministop conference room located in Bangbae-dong, Seoul. Attendees included Shim Gwansub, CEO of Korean Ministop; Hyun Woongjae, CEO of Smart Kiosk; Lee Inhong, Executive Director of Global Networks; and other representatives from the three companies.

Through this agreement, Smart Kiosk will supply the ‘Fresh Store’ devices and platform, Global Networks will provide meat and fresh food, and Ministop will serve as the offline store for customer sales through the ‘Fresh Store’ devices, jointly promoting the expansion of ‘Fresh Store’.

At the ceremony, CEO Shim said, “Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, customers’ lifestyles and consumption patterns are changing. Expanding product assortment through a new platform is a necessary challenge and an opportunity to create a new growth momentum.”

CEO Hyun also expressed high expectations, saying, “In the untact and contactless era, we look forward to various collaborations using fresh food, including the introduction of new types of complex stores.”

Previously, Ministop conducted test sales by opening a ‘Fresh Store’ in a shop-in-shop format at the Ministop Janganjangpyeong branch located in Dongdaemun-gu in September. With the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic leading to increased untact consumption and home-around consumption, this agreement was made to actively expand meat and fresh food vending machines.