Interior specialty company HANSSEM has recruited Lee Jong-hyun, former CEO of Trendy, as an executive director. He will serve as the Chief Business Officer at HANSSEM, focusing on managing existing businesses and developing new strategies for growth across various channels.
According to a comprehensive report from ChosunBiz on the 25th, this CBO joined HANSSEM on the 9th. He worked at Bain & Company, a global strategy consulting firm, and Mesh Korea, the operator of the delivery platform 'Vroong,' before joining Trendy in 2020. At Trendy, he progressed from Chief Operating Officer to Chief Revenue Officer and was promoted to co-CEO in 2023.
Trendy experienced rapid growth thanks to an increase in luxury goods demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with changing consumer patterns resulting in a decrease in luxury transactions, Trendy recorded a consolidated revenue of 40.2 billion won and an operating loss of 3.2 billion won in 2023. Last year's revenue of 20.7 billion won nearly halved compared to the previous year, and an operating loss of 2.9 billion won was also reported.
To improve Trendy's performance last year, he established a second-hand luxury goods business as a new revenue model. He resigned last December, just 1 year and 5 months after becoming co-CEO, but as the overseas and second-hand luxury business stabilized, Trendy succeeded in achieving consecutive profits between March and May this year. Operating profit improved by 105% compared to the previous year.
HANSSEM, which needs a performance rebound, plans to accelerate profit improvement in collaboration with this CBO. After recording a consolidated revenue of about 22.31 trillion won in 2021, HANSSEM has shown a downward trend, with about 19.08 trillion won in revenue reported last year. Operating profit on a consolidated basis was about 31.2 billion won, approximately 16 times higher than in 2023 (1.9 billion won), but the operating profit of 6.44 billion won in the first quarter of this year is about half that of the same period last year.
This CBO will be responsible for not only managing existing businesses at HANSSEM but also establishing new strategies for online and offline channels aimed at improving profitability. HANSSEM offers remodeling and interior services under the 'Rehouse' business for living spaces such as kitchens, dress rooms, and bathrooms, and sells products like furniture, lighting, bedding, and home decor in its 'Home Furnishing' business.
An industry source noted that this CBO will likely devise product operation plans for each channel, such as HANSSEM Mall and partner malls, based on his experience in platform companies, and is expected to focus on enhancing the e-commerce strategy for revenue growth and profits.