Homeplus has moved in earnest to restore normal operations, relaunching its suspended online delivery service Monday.
The service resumed at 3 p.m. Monday — 25 days after the hypermarket chain halted operations and three days after it soft-opened its stores on Friday. The relaunch initially covers 20 stores in the Greater Seoul area, roughly half the 41 locations that offered online delivery before the suspension.
Homeplus is currently running soft openings at all 67 of its stores. As of Friday, the first day of the soft opening, about 30 percent of expected inventory had arrived. Deliveries of additional stock had been scheduled over the weekend but were delayed.
Homeplus is targeting Aug. 13 for its official reopening, during which it plans to bring in more products and address any remaining issues identified during the soft-opening period. The chain was forced to suspend operations after a court ruled on July 3 to terminate its rehabilitation proceedings, leaving it without sufficient operating funds. It was able to continue the process after its majority shareholder MBK Partners and MBK Chairman Kim Byung-ju agreed to provide joint guarantees, securing 200 billion won in debtor-in-possession financing.
To restore normal operations, Homeplus has adopted what it calls a "Trader Joe's" strategy — scaling back store size and product variety in favor of a leaner, higher-turnover model. Rather than the wide-ranging, high-volume approach typical of large hypermarkets, the company plans to focus on fast-moving food items, daily necessities and private-label products, mirroring the US retailer Trader Joe's. The strategy aims to improve cash flow within the constraints of its limited available funds.
In a public notice, Homeplus said it would "do its best to continuously expand the range of products and delivery areas," while cautioning that "delivery may be restricted in some areas depending on the circumstances of delivery partners."
siuu@heraldcorp.com
