The exterior of E-mart 24's Battambang store in Cambodia. [E-mart 24]
The exterior of E-mart 24's Battambang store in Cambodia. [E-mart 24]

E-mart 24 has grown to 31 stores in Cambodia just two years after entering the market, and the convenience store chain plans to push past 70 locations by year-end as it accelerates its expansion in the country.

E-mart 24 held a two-year anniversary event Wednesday at the Shangri-La Hotel in Phnom Penh, where it unveiled a new brand message: shifting its identity from "a convenience store from Korea" to "a company growing together with Cambodia."

E-mart 24 entered Cambodia in 2024 — the first Korean convenience store brand to do so — after signing a master franchise agreement with local joint-venture partner Saihan Partners. The chain initially concentrated its expansion around the capital, Phnom Penh, but has since opened stores in Siem Reap, home to the world-famous Angkor Wat temple complex, and Battambang, extending its footprint to provincial cities.

Of the 31 stores now open, 20 more are under construction and another 43 have signed contracts and are preparing to break ground. E-mart 24 says it will have more than 70 stores operating by the end of this year based on the pipeline already in progress.

The chain is pursuing a localization strategy by sharing its Korean convenience store operating expertise with its local partner and tailoring its product mix and store operations to Cambodian lifestyles and consumer culture. It sells K-food items such as tteokbokki, cup rice and fish cake, and has installed ramyun cookers so customers can prepare instant noodles on the spot. A range of coffees and smoothie drinks is also on offer.

E-mart 24 Cambodia's average daily sales this year are up 41 percent from the chain's launch period in 2024, while customer traffic has risen 17 percent. The Battambang store, which opened earlier this month, recorded about 10 million won ($7,070) in sales on its opening day. Both average daily sales and customer traffic at E-mart 24 Cambodia run roughly twice the levels seen at E-mart 24 stores in South Korea.

When E-mart 24 first entered Cambodia, it set a target of 100 stores over five years. Strong customer interest and the market's growth potential have since prompted the company to raise that goal to 200 stores, and it plans to accelerate openings in major Cambodian cities.

"There is currently no convenience store brand operating more than 60 stores in Cambodia," an E-mart 24 official said. "By expanding to more than 70 stores by year-end, we aim to establish ourselves as Cambodia's leading convenience store brand."


korean@heraldcorp.com