Published : Feb. 1, 2021 - 10:25
This image provided by Shinsegae Group on Monday, shows Electro Man, the brand character for the group's home appliance shop, Electro Mart. (Shinsegae Group)
Searching for a new nickname after purchasing a professional baseball club, South Korean retailer Shinsegae Group said Monday it has applied for a trademark on a name inspired by its home appliance shop.
Shinsegae said it has sent in a trademark application for Electros, taken from its Electro Mart chain.
Shinsegae acquired the SK Wyverns of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in a surprise deal announced last Tuesday. E-Mart, the country's biggest discount store chain run by Shinsegae, will take over from the No. 1 mobile carrier, SK Telecom, for 135.2 billion won ($121 million).
KBO clubs are mostly owned and run by large business corporations. Their parent company's name comes in front of the nickname, with the SK Wyverns themselves being an example. Under the new ownership, the team will get an entirely different name.
SSG is expected to be the company name in front, taken from Shinsegae's online mall, SSG.com.
Shinsegae said it felt it needed to get Electros trademarked during its discussions for a new team name. One Shinsegae official said talks are ongoing and the group is open to all possibilities, including maintaining the current name. (Yonhap)