Jung Yongjin Visits 'Starfield Village Unjeong': "We Must Get Closer to Customers"

Second On-Site Management of the New Year
Emphasizing a 'Paradigm Shift' into Customers' Daily Lives

Jung Yongjin, Chairman of Shinsegae Group, made his second on-site management visit of the new year to 'Starfield Village Unjeong' in Unjeong New Town, Paju, Gyeonggi Province.

According to Shinsegae Group on the 19th, Chairman Jung visited Starfield Village Unjeong on the 16th and emphasized, "We need a 'paradigm shift' that goes beyond waiting for customers to come to us and instead deeply integrates into their daily lives." This is an action plan he presented in his New Year's address for the group's growth, conveying the message that the company must completely change its conventional thinking for the sake of its customers.

Jung Yongjin, Chairman of Shinsegae Group (center front row), visited Starfield Village Unjeong in Paju, Gyeonggi Province on the 16th and toured the 'Central Pod,' a space combining books and community areas. Provided by Shinsegae Group

This was Chairman Jung's second on-site visit of the year, following his visit to Starfield Market Jukjeon, the top-performing Emart store, on the 6th. The new concept of Starfield, called Starfield Village, aligns with his management philosophy. He believes that, rather than being a destination shopping mall people drive to, it should become a "neighborhood complex mall" that customers can visit at any time. Chairman Jung stated, "If we take a step closer to our customers, they will also take a step closer to us, and the distance between us will be significantly reduced."

Starfield Village Unjeong is located in the heart of an apartment complex, making it closely connected to the daily lives of local residents. Although its area is about half the size of the original Starfield, it does not feel small in scale. Since its opening on December 5, Starfield Village Unjeong has attracted 1 million visitors in just over a month. This figure is more than three times the population of Unjeong New Town (approximately 290,000), and nearly twice the population of Paju City as a whole (approximately 520,000). According to Shinsegae Group, over 70% of visitors are residents living near Unjeong, and the revisit rate is as high as 40%. More than 60% of the stores are brands making their first entry into the region.

Currently, only the 'Central' section of Starfield Village Unjeong, which serves as the core of the complex shopping mall, is open. The adjacent neighborhood facilities connected to this area are scheduled to open within the first quarter. Shinsegae Property, the operator of Starfield, plans to expand these local community-based platforms, starting with Unjeong, to other locations such as Gayang-dong in Gangseo-gu, Seoul; Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province; Yuseong in Daejeon; and Jinju in South Gyeongsang Province.

Chairman Jung commented, "Starfield Village is a place where parents can come for their children, or children can follow their parents and everyone can enjoy themselves," and added, "Our group's pursuit of spatial innovation has evolved to the next level." He continued, "If spaces that bring joy to customers are located closer to more people's homes, imagine how much better their daily lives would be. That is why neither Shinsegae Group nor I can afford to rest."