Seocho-gu Changes 'Mandatory Closure Days for Large Mart' to Weekdays (2nd and 4th Wednesday)

Targeting 34 locations including 3 large marts (Emart Yangjae Branch, Lotte Mart Seocho Branch, Kim's Club Gangnam Branch) and 31 semi-large stores (SSM)... Mandatory closure days changed from 2nd and 4th Sundays to 2nd and 4th Wednesdays (Kim's Club Gangnam Branch on Mondays)

From the 28th, large supermarkets in Seocho-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jeon Seong-su) will be the first in Seoul's autonomous districts to operate normally every Sunday and close on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays.

The district completed all administrative procedures through ▲administrative notice and public opinion collection ▲deliberation and resolution by the Distribution Industry Win-Win Development Council, and officially implemented the policy on the 17th via public announcement to promote the ‘Mandatory Holiday for Large Supermarkets Shifted to Weekdays.’

Accordingly, the mandatory holiday for large supermarkets in Seocho-gu will change from the 2nd and 4th Sundays to the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays. However, Kim's Club Gangnam branch will operate its holiday on the 2nd and 4th Mondays considering the characteristics of its business location.

Also, in the first month of implementation, January, supermarkets will operate normally on the 28th and close on the 31st, while only Kim's Club Gangnam branch will close on the 29th.

The targets include ▲three large supermarkets (E-Mart Yangjae branch, Lotte Mart Seocho branch, Kim's Club Gangnam branch) ▲31 semi-large stores (SSM) such as Lotte Super, E-Mart Everyday, Homeplus Express, GS The Fresh, No Brand, Hanaro Mart Banpo branch, totaling 34 locations. Costco Yangjae branch is excluded from this change and will maintain its current mandatory holiday.

To shift the mandatory holiday for large supermarkets to weekdays, the district held eight rounds of consultations between small and medium distribution and large supermarkets. Based on this, on the 19th of last month, Seocho-Gangnam Supermarket Cooperative, representing small and medium distribution, and the Korea Chain Store Association, representing large supermarkets, signed a win-win cooperation agreement.

The win-win agreement includes matters related to shifting the mandatory holiday to weekdays, as well as ▲sharing distribution networks by large supermarkets to secure price competitiveness for small and medium distribution ▲support for conversion to corporate-type supermarkets upon request by small and medium distribution ▲regular win-win cooperation meetings between small and medium distribution and large distribution.

This aims to share the price competitiveness, good quality, and marketing capabilities of large supermarkets with small and medium distribution to improve competitiveness and profitability, revitalize neighborhood commercial districts, and realize the ‘Seocho-type win-win model’ where large supermarkets, small and medium distribution, and residents (consumers) all ‘win-win-win.’

Going forward, the district plans to provide administrative and policy support to implement the win-win agreement, monitor sales changes of large supermarkets and small and medium distribution after the mandatory holiday implementation, and carefully investigate opinions from distribution stakeholders and residents to reflect them in policies.

Jeon Seong-su, Mayor of Seocho-gu, said, “I thank all large supermarkets and small and medium distribution stakeholders who cooperated in preparing the win-win cooperation plan,” and added, “We will do our best to pay attention and support so that the shift of mandatory holidays to weekdays is successfully established and the win-win cooperation plan is faithfully implemented.”