E-MART said on the 31st that it opened the first No Brand store at Central Bangna, a flagship shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, in partnership with Central Food Retail, under Thailand's retail corporations Central Group. The store spans about 255㎡ (77 pyeong).
This opening is the first case of a Korean retailer directly launching an offline store in Thailand and entering the market. E-MART plans to go beyond simply supplying products and directly transplant No Brand's unique brand identity and operating capabilities to the local market to showcase the competitiveness of Korean retail.
Thailand has a retail market worth about 160 trillion won and is considered a country with a particularly strong offline consumption culture. Central Group is a leading Thai retail corporations encompassing department stores and shopping malls, grocery distribution, hotels, and real estate development. Central Food Retail is a key affiliate that operates about 800 stores across Thailand, including supermarkets and convenience stores. E-MART plans to maximize synergy by combining local infrastructure with the product competitiveness of No Brand.
Bang Na, where the first store is located, is a representative emerging residential area on the outskirts of Bangkok. It has a high proportion of high-income middle-class and foreign residents, with upscale residential complexes and international schools clustered there. Nearly 80% of customers use private cars, making it a commercial district expected to attract a consumer base with strong purchasing power.
The first No Brand store in Thailand sells about 2,300 items. Of these, about 400 are No Brand products, and roughly two-thirds of the total, or more than 1,500 items, are Korean products. This is the highest ratio of Korean products among No Brand's overseas stores and is seen as a strategy that actively reflects the popularity of the Korean Wave.
About 27% of the total store, a 21-pyeong area, is set up as a deli (ready-to-cook) space. The company said it prepares and sells emblematic Korean street foods such as tteokbokki, fish cake, kimbap, chicken, cup rice, walnut pastries, and ramen on-site so local consumers can experience Korean food culture more vividly.
Kang Young-seok, head of E-MART's overseas business, said, "The first No Brand store in Thailand will serve as a strategic bridgehead to promote the excellence of K-retail across Southeast Asia, beyond simply opening a store," adding, "E-MART will continue to broaden its overseas business portfolio to widely promote the excellence of No Brand and offer new shopping experiences to global customers."