BGF Retail said on the 7th that it sent a notice to store owners and employees announcing specific support measures for franchisees affected by logistics instability caused by the Cargo Truckers Solidarity strike. In the notice, the company expressed gratitude to store owners and employees who showed trust despite the difficult situation and said it would fulfill its responsibility as the franchisor to stabilize store operations.
The support plan was prepared after calculating the scale of damage caused by product supply disruptions and gathering feedback from franchisees. It was designed to provide practical support by region and by store, reflecting the degree of damage from supply instability.
The franchisee support plan consists of store support funds and consolation money. Store support funds include support for shortages of refrigerated and frozen goods and compensation for discarded ready-to-eat meals. The consolation money will be paid under four items, reflecting conditions by region and by store. The support funds will be reflected in the settlement statement on the 7th and deposited individually on the 8th.
The support for shortages of refrigerated and frozen goods will reimburse the full amount of store operating profit that would have been earned if normal sales had occurred for all refrigerated and frozen items out of stock from Apr. 5 to 30, regardless of whether logistics were unstable. The full amount of discarded ready-to-eat meals during the same period will also be covered.
The store consolation money is additional support paid separately from actual damage compensation. The regional consolation money will vary by the degree of supply instability, up to 300,000 won. The store-level consolation money will be paid up to 700,000 won per store, comprehensively considering factors such as shortages and delivery delays.
A BGF Retail official said, "The company also suffered significant damage from the product supply disruption, but as the franchisor we prepared a broad support plan prioritizing store stability, including practical compensation and consolation money," and added, "We will use this as an opportunity to reaffirm that the headquarters and franchisees are one community, and we will work actively to achieve joint growth based on a solid partnership going forward."
Meanwhile, the Cargo Truckers Solidarity blocked major CU logistics centers from the 7th to the 29th last month, demanding better treatment. Due to the strike's impact, CU store owners were unable to receive goods on time, disrupting sales. According to the council, during this period store owners are said to have suffered sales losses of about 10% to 30% compared with normal times.
On the 30th last month, the Cargo Truckers Solidarity signed a collective agreement with BGF Logistics and ended the strike. The agreement reportedly included a 7% increase in freight rates, one additional paid leave per quarter, and the withdrawal of an application for a preliminary injunction prohibiting business obstruction.