On the 20th, E-Mart announced that it will open its fifth franchise store, the Dragon Terminal location, in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. This comes 1 year and 3 months after the opening of the fourth store on Sept. 4 last year.
Ulaanbaatar is the capital of Mongolia. It is a place where Korean culture has spread so much that it is referred to as the 'Montan (Mongolia + Dongtan) new city,' where E-Mart operates four large discount store locations.
The newly opened fifth store is configured as a small-format store. E-Mart plans to focus on opening small-format stores in downtown Ulaanbaatar while implementing a two-track strategy of launching large stores like shopping malls in the outer new towns.
The fifth store is located on the first floor of the newly built shopping mall at Dragon Bus Terminal, which is the largest commercial area and a transportation hub in the west. Covering an area of 1,093 square meters (about 330 pyeong), the fifth store will increase the area for processed food to comprise about 70% of the total space and sell convenience products such as simple travel items and small-sized Korean snacks and drinks for terminal customers.
Reflecting the K-food craze, products from Korea have been displayed throughout the store. In particular, a deli and bakery featuring Korean-style menus such as gimbap, tteokbokki, and fried chicken have been emphasized.
The No Brand store is placed at the entrance as a shop-in-shop format. According to E-Mart, sales from the No Brand store in Mongolia from January to November this year increased by 24%. This decision reflects the high level of response.
Having entered the Mongolian market for nine years, E-Mart's sales continue to show significant growth each year. Last year, sales from E-Mart in Mongolia increased by 11% compared to the previous year. This year, E-Mart anticipates an even higher sales growth rate of about 19%.
Choi Jong-geun, head of E-Mart's overseas operations, noted that 'E-Mart aims to open more than 10 additional stores in Mongolia by 2030' and emphasized that 'it will establish itself as a leading discount store in Mongolia and spread K-retail.'