Shinsegae Group said on the 7th that Chairman Chung Yong-jin visited Starfield Market Jukjeon, the "No. 1 Emart store by sales," on the 6th, kicking off his first on-site management of the new year.
Chung chose Jukjeon as his first on-site management location of the year because it is a symbolic place that, in both the past and present, has combined Shinsegae Group's capabilities and pointed to its future direction. Jukjeon first opened in 2005 under the name "Emart Jukjeon."
Starting in 2007, it connected with today's Shinsegae South City Department Store and was reborn as the prototype of "Shinsegae Town." Emart in Aug. 2024 remodeled Jukjeon as the first among Emart stores to incorporate the "Starfield DNA" model, and Jukjeon posted the highest sales among Emart locations nationwide last year.
At the Jukjeon site, Chung said, "In the midst of a turbulent retail market environment, our Shinsegae Group feels a strong responsibility to become the 'shopping mecca' that customers trust most in their daily lives," adding, "We will execute even more meticulously the overwhelming No. 1 strategy implemented at places such as Starfield Market Jukjeon."
Chung arrived at the store around 6 p.m., a time when a diverse range of customers, including office workers on their way home and homemakers, crowd in. Starting with the background that symbolizes the store, he toured the basement level 1 grocery area and the ground floor and second-floor tenant zones in order.
On basement level 1, he followed the customer flow past the wine corner at the entrance and the "grab-and-go," through the seafood, meat, and frozen food sections, the PL zone including Peacock and 5K Price, and the processed foods corner such as snacks and ramen, carefully checking the store layout and price appropriateness.
Chung personally placed into his cart an assorted sashimi set, gwamegi, and otoro sashimi from the "Tuna Butcher," as well as No Brand HMR, frozen foods, and three kinds of ramen. He also encouraged accompanying executives and employees by saying, "Everyone pick up at least one thing to take with you."
In the 2024 remodel, Jukjeon boldly reduced sales floor space while greatly expanding rest and experience areas and tenants. It reconfigured the center of the first floor into a social club-style space with a background and event stage instead of sales facilities, and it strengthened stay-type facilities for families, such as a kids' ground and an infant lounge. Chung examined Jukjeon's stay-type facilities one by one and emphasized the importance of elements that can differentiate it from existing stores and competitors.
Chung encouraged staff by saying, "Starfield Market Jukjeon was our new challenge to meet the higher bar of the 'No. 1 customers who crave novelty,'" adding, "Thank you to all the executives and employees here who innovated without fear and delivered results."
He continued, "Jukjeon is the fruit achieved by constantly listening to on-site customer voices," and noted, "Without resting on our laurels, I will visit the field frequently throughout 2026 to find new future growth drivers."