Kang Sung-hyun, CEO of Lotte Mart and Super, said on the 26th, "We will focus our investments on the online grocery business."
At the opening ceremony of the 'Grand Grocery Guri' store, which opened in Guri, Kang noted, "We are moving forward with a strategy that aims for offline efficiency while transitioning investments online," adding, "As rental costs have risen significantly, we plan to proceed with new openings while considering ROI (return on investment) from a rational perspective."
Lotte Mart's Grand Grocery Guri location is the second new opening this year, following the Cheonho location in January. It has also reopened about four years after closing the previous Guri location, which operated for over 20 years from 1999 to 2021. The Grand Grocery stores specialize in food, dedicating 90% of their total area to groceries.
Kang stated, "Grand Grocery is a format that aims for a very young commercial area in terms of product variety," adding, "Unfortunately, many of the commercial areas we are engaging with are more aged than expected." He also mentioned, "We plan to gradually expand Grand Grocery in areas that will undergo redevelopment or are included in younger commercial zones, with this Guri store serving as a touchstone."
Lotte Mart designed the Guri store as a future-oriented space that combines the strengths of offline channels, 'grocery' and 'malling,' focusing on creating shopping and leisure culture spaces. The first floor features the Grand Grocery, while the second floor is set up as a 'customer stay-type store' with enhanced 'Kids & Family' content, including Toys 'R' Us, a cultural center, and a book café.
Within a 3 km radius of the Inchang-dong area where the Guri store is located, approximately 150,000 households reside. Among them, the proportion of households in their 30s to 40s and families with children is high, classifying it as a commercial area with strong demand for everyday shopping. In particular, with the opening of Line 8 Donggulung Station and the ongoing inflow of younger residents due to the full-scale occupancy of redevelopment and reconstruction complexes, the trend of attracting younger crowds continues.
Lotte Mart plans to actively utilize the Guri store as a key base for its online grocery business, 'Lotte Mart Zeta,' in the northeastern part of Gyeonggi Province. Previously, on April 1, Lotte Mart officially launched the AI-based 'Lotte Mart Zeta' app through collaboration with the British retail tech company 'Ocado' to enhance its online competitiveness. This allows customers to experience the products of the Grand Grocery Guri store online as well.
Kang dismissed the idea that the integration of Lotte Mart and Super is at a completed stage, stating, "We are preparing for the system opening," and noted, "Once the system opens, the way we work will change into one, and I believe that will create greater synergy."
Kang said, "Grand Grocery is the most optimized place for the citizens of Guri, where Lotte Mart has consolidated its capabilities," adding, "I take pride in the fact that Lotte Mart knows the citizens of Guri best among retailers."