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Emart is accelerating the conversion of its conventional discount stores into Starfield Market, an experiential shopping concept focused on extending customer dwell time. Following the reopening of its Wolgye store in Seoul last month, the retailer plans to sequentially open locations in Gunsan this month and Gwangmyeong Soha by the end of the year, expanding the footprint of Starfield Market. The strategy aims to enhance core competitiveness in brick-and-mortar retail by scaling up an already proven store innovation model.

The functional role of its nationwide stores is also expanding. Emart plans to utilize these locations as fulfillment hubs for online orders while pursuing Retail Media Network (RMN) initiatives that convert online and offline customer touchpoints into advertising products.

According to the retail industry on the 7th, Emart plans to convert three conventional discount stores into Starfield Market locations in the second half of this year, while opening one new discount store and one new Traders Wholesale Club.

Emart is moving sequentially with the Starfield Market transitions for its Gunsan and Gwangmyeong Soha branches, following the opening of the Wolgye branch on the 27th of last month. Reopened under the renewal, Starfield Market Wolgye marks the fifth Starfield Market branch and the first in Seoul. The Gunsan branch in North Jeolla Province has been remodeling its second floor since May and is set to reopen on the 17th as Starfield Market Gunsan.

The Gwangmyeong Soha branch, a key location in the Seoul metropolitan area, also began renewal work last month. The store has temporarily suspended operations except for fresh and processed foods alongside select items. Following construction through November, it is preparing to reopen as Starfield Market in December. Through this sequence spanning Wolgye, Gunsan, and Gwangmyeong Soha, Emart is accelerating efforts to transform traditional product-centered discount outlets into spaces equipped with food and beverage offerings, relaxation areas, and cultural and hands-on experiential content.

Behind Emart's push to expand store renewals lies visible revenue improvement. According to a report by Kyobo Securities, Emart remodeled four branches in the first half of this year, including the Eunpyeong store, with sales growth across these renovated locations reaching about 13 percent.

New store openings are also resuming. Emart plans to open a new discount store in the Chungcheong region late this year and launch a new Traders Wholesale Club in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province.

The retailer is also broadening its short-distance delivery service from brick-and-mortar stores nationwide. It aims to expand the service, currently operating at select discount locations, to all stores by the end of the year, utilizing existing store networks and inventory as local logistics infrastructure to process online orders. The initiative is designed to maximize online-offline synergies and raise store utilization.

Customer touchpoints inside the stores will also serve as platforms to generate advertising revenue. Emart is cultivating an integrated online-offline Retail Media Network as a new revenue driver. RMN is a model where a retailer leverages its stores, digital platforms, and customer purchase data for advertising operations. Emart plans to strengthen this business by expanding digital advertising media such as in-store media cubes and media walls while connecting them with online channels.

When food or household goods manufacturers run advertisements across Emart's online and offline channels, the company can analyze how effectively ad exposure translated into actual purchases by leveraging verified transaction data.

                                                                                                      Jeong Moon-kyung