Customers line up to enter the Homeplus Mega Food Market in Ulsan. (Homeplus)

South Korean discount chain Homeplus has renovated its Ulsan branch into the Homeplus Mega Food Market, a new concept store designed to offer an enhanced on-site shopping experience focused on fresh food products.

“Along with the Homeplus Mega Food Market, the new core drive of Homeplus’ growth, we will continue to increase our interactions with customers while strengthening the competitiveness of our offline stores,” said Jo Do-yeon, head of Homeplus’ marketing department.

Located in residential Jung-gu, Ulsan, this refurbished branch features efficient and effective shopping routes based on an analysis of visitors' foot traffic data, according to the discount chain on Sunday.

For instance, the Ulsan branch has placed bakery products near the entrance and optimized the placement of related items, while curating a range of fresh food products. Additionally, it features a variety of tenant stores, including health and beauty store Olive Young, fast fashion brand Topten and home bedding brand Modernhouse, catering to family visitors. It also plans to introduce budget buffet restaurant Qooqoo in September, occupying 1,487 square meters.

Homeplus’ refurbishing initiative has been ongoing since 2022 in response to the growing presence of e-commerce platforms in Korea, which offer competitive pricing but lack an in-store experience.

With the Ulsan branch, the 28th renovated store, more than 20 percent of Homeplus stores have become Mega Food Market locations. Currently, the company has such stores in every metropolitan city in the country, including Incheon, Daejeon, Gwangju, Daegu, Seoul and Busan.