SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - South Korean convenience store chain Emart24 announced its entry into the Laotian market, Sunday, becoming the first Korean convenience store brand to establish a presence in the country.
The entry follows a strategic franchise agreement with Laos-based conglomerate, Kolao Group.
The partnership will see Emart24 convert 50 existing KOK KOK MINI convenience stores, currently operated by Kolao Group, into Emart24 outlets, alongside the opening of new locations.
Kolao Group, founded by Oh Se-young in 1997, is a diversified conglomerate with interests spanning from car assembly and sales to finance, platforms, construction, and leisure. Since 2023, the group has also operated hypermarkets and convenience stores under its proprietary KOK KOK brand.
Emart24 currently operates seven stores in Cambodia, 102 in Malaysia, and one in India. Emart24 is positioning its new Laotian stores to capitalize on the country's youth demographic, who are demonstrating a growing affinity for Korean culture, including K-food, K-content, and K-beauty.
Emart24 CEO Choi Jin-il, said, "We anticipate this expansion will not only boost exports of our private label products but also open new markets for South Korean small and medium-sized businesses."
* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
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