Hyundai Department Store Group Holds Integrated IR Event for Third Consecutive Year to Strengthen Shareholder-Friendly Management

13 Listed Affiliates Including Hyundai GF Holdings Participate
Group-Wide IR Event Highlights Value Enhancement and Shareholder-Friendly Strategies

Hyundai Department Store Group will continue to hold its integrated group investor relations (IR) event with institutional investors for the third consecutive year. This move is seen as an effort to strengthen shareholder-friendly management by publicly expressing its commitment to value enhancement and disclosing its management strategies for the second half of the year.

On August 27, Hyundai Department Store Group announced that it will host the group-wide integrated investor relations event, "Hyundai Department Store Group Corporate Day," for institutional investors at Shinhan Investment Corp. in Yeouido, Seoul, on August 28. Thirteen listed affiliates within the group, including the holding company Hyundai GF Holdings, Hyundai Department Store, Hyundai Home Shopping, and Hyundai Green Food, will participate in the event.

The event is organized by Shinhan Investment Corp. Institutional investors from major domestic financial investment firms, such as Korea Investment Management and Woori Asset Management, will be in attendance. IR executives from the 13 listed companies of Hyundai Department Store Group will present an overview of each company’s business, outlook for the business environment in the second half of the year, key business strategies, and updates on value enhancement initiatives.

Hyundai GF Holdings has steadily increased its dividends, raising the year-end dividend (based on the record date) from 18.3 billion won in 2023 to 31.2 billion won last year. This year, the company will introduce an additional interim dividend of over 10 billion won, bringing the total payout to approximately 43 billion won. The company plans to increase the total dividend amount to around 50 billion won by 2027. Recently, Hyundai GF Holdings purchased a 1.94% stake (438,000 shares) in Hyundai Department Store, demonstrating its commitment to responsible management as the largest shareholder.

The value enhancement strategies of the group’s major affiliates are also drawing attention. Hyundai Department Store is accelerating business expansion by detailing new store openings such as The Hyundai Busan, The Hyundai Gwangju, and the Gyeongsan Premium Outlet. Its subsidiaries, the duty-free business and Zinus, are pursuing business structure reform through efforts to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs. The company aims to raise its return on equity (ROE) to 6% by 2027, surpassing the department store industry average.

Hyundai Green Food plans to increase the profitability of its group catering business and invest in future growth sectors such as care food. Based on the value enhancement disclosure date, the company aims to achieve a price-to-book ratio (PBR) of at least 0.8 within three years and will buy back and cancel 2% of its own shares annually until 2028, totaling 10.6%. Handsome also aims to maintain growth by strengthening the global competitiveness of its flagship brands, such as Time and System, and by expanding its portfolio of imported brands.

Hyundai EZwel will strengthen its dividend policy by raising the minimum dividend payout from the previous 10% of separate operating profit to 20%. This year, the company will buy back 5% of its own shares and plans to cancel them by 2028. Hyundai Futurenet has set goals to more than double its dividend and to buy back and cancel 3% of its own shares by 2028, with 1% to be purchased within this year.

A Hyundai Department Store Group representative stated, "Following the announcement of our value enhancement plans, we have been holding integrated IR events at the group level to expand communication with the capital market and achieve tangible improvements in corporate value. We will continue to transparently share the medium- to long-term management plans, major investment agendas, and business progress of each listed affiliate within the group, and remain committed to continuous corporate value enhancement."