[Report] Dramatic Change of Store with 'Twice Daily Peak Time'... Homeplus Ganseok Branch Rewrites Sales Records

Characteristics of Customer Surge Once More on Commute After 4-5 PM 'Peak Time'
Successful Strategy of Front Placement for Easy-to-Handle Products Like Salads, Ready Meals, and Convenience Foods
First Weekend Sales After Renewal Exceed 1.1 Billion Won... "Expanding Mega Food Market to 17 Locations This Year"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] "It's cheap, the salad is under 5,000 won."

On the afternoon of the 23rd, at Homeplus Mega Food Market Ganseok branch. As soon as you enter the entrance, customers kept coming to the ready-to-eat salad corner 'Fresh To Go.' Since its renewal opening on the 17th, more than 1,000 salads have been sold in just four days including the weekend. Kim Jong-won, the manager of Homeplus Ganseok branch, said about this popularity, "It was placed in a spot visible as soon as you enter the mart, and the freshness was enhanced by preparing seasonal vegetables delivered daily on the spot. Also, the price was set at 70-80% of other marts, making it cheaper." Not only the 'Signature Salad' made with representative recipes but also the 'Custom Salad,' where customers can choose their preferred base and toppings, accounts for more than 30% of sales. A store employee explaining the custom salad to a housewife who visited the store with her two children said, "Many customers stop by after work even on weekdays."

Typically, large marts experience a 'peak time' when customers gather around 4-5 PM, just before dinner preparation. However, Homeplus Ganseok branch has one more peak time during the day. It is around 8 PM, when people passing through habitual traffic congestion near the mart stop by to find simple dinner items on their way home from work. Customers who visit late mostly look for ready-to-eat foods and convenience foods that require less effort. Additionally, the consumer age group around the store is expanding from the existing 50s and 60s to the 30s and 40s due to nearby redevelopment, which is another characteristic of the Ganseok branch. Homeplus has successfully incorporated this 'story outside the mart' into this 'renewal inside the mart.'

They boldly broke the mart display formula that said, 'You can tell the change of seasons by the fruits at the entrance.' From the entrance, the salad corner, bakery cafe 'Montblanger,' organic milk, ice cream, yogurt-selling cafe 'Beomsan Farm,' side dish store 'Samcheongdong Table,' and ready-to-eat food corner 'Food To Go' were arranged, catching the eye. Even on this day, just after peak time, customers crowded mainly around the entrance stores. At Montblanger, healthy bread that broke the stereotype of 'mart bread' and coffee made with beans sourced from the famous Gangneung roastery 'Park Ichu Coffee' were popular due to their price appeal. In front of Food To Go, there were continuous customer inquiries about roasted chicken with quinoa.

The busiest place was the 'Dining Street,' which gathered convenience foods such as meal kits in one place. There were many MZ generation (Millennials + Gen Z) customers. They carefully compared products before putting them in their carts. The mart side said, "Previously separated convenience foods of about 700 types at room temperature, refrigerated, and frozen were lined up on a 16-meter display so customers can compare them at a glance, receiving high customer response." The meal kit sales here surged 1170% compared to the same period last year during the first four days after opening.

The meat corner 'The Meat Market' was also crowded. A mart employee said, "Today is the last day of the discount event, and 'Jeju Black Pork' is especially popular." Through this renewal, they diversified the assortment including premium products such as 1++ No.9 female Hanwoo beef, air-shipped lamb, and veal (Red Veal), recording high sales. The premium Hanwoo sales at The Meat Market rose 460% in the first four days after opening. 'The Wine Cellar,' which expanded its wine assortment to 1,200 types, also saw high popularity of premium wines. In front of the whiskey corner, which has recently gained high popularity, male and female customers stopped by as well.

It was also noticeable that the 'event displays' scattered throughout the mart were boldly removed. The ceiling inside the store was 6 meters high to create a sense of openness, and the aisles were widened to 5.5 meters to allow enough space for carts to pass each other comfortably. This was also aimed at allowing surrounding products to be seen neatly at a glance.

Ganseok branch recorded record-breaking sales on the first weekend after the renewal opening. On the 19th alone, sales exceeded 1.1 billion won. This figure is more than twice the weekend sales of major large mart branches. The Seoul World Cup branch and Incheon Cheongna branch, which also completed renewals, saw sales from the 17th to the 20th increase by 150% and 120% respectively compared to the same period last year. Homeplus aims to carry out more than 17 store renewals this year reflecting regional characteristics.