Emart facts for kids
 |
|
| Public | |
| Traded as | KRX: 139480 |
| Industry | Retailing |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters |
,
South Korea
|
|
Number of locations
|
178 in South Korea, 4 in Mongolia, 1 in Vietnam |
|
Area served
|
South Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia |
|
Key people
|
Kang Heui-seok (CEO) |
| Products | Groceries, consumer goods |
| Owner | Lee Myung-Hee |
| Parent | Shinsegae |
Emart Inc. (Hangul: 주식회사 이마트) is the biggest store chain in South Korea. It was started on November 12, 1993, by a company called Shinsegae. Emart was the very first discount store in South Korea. By December 2016, there were 160 Emart stores across the country.
Emart is the oldest and largest discount store chain in South Korea. In 2009, it sold over 9.4 billion US dollars worth of goods. Emart was also the first South Korean store to open in China.
Contents
Emart's Journey: A Look Back
Emart opened its first store in Chang-dong, Dobong-gu, Seoul, on November 12, 1993. This was a big moment because it was the first large discount store in South Korea. Soon after, more stores opened, like the one in Ilsan in 1994.
Growing Across Asia
On February 1, 1997, Emart became the first Korean store to open in China. It opened its first Chinese store in Shanghai. Over the years, Emart had many stores in China. However, on May 31, 2017, Emart decided to leave the Chinese market.
Emart also expanded to other countries. On December 28, 2015, it opened a store in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A second store in Vietnam opened in 2022. Emart also opened a store in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on July 28, 2016.
Buying Other Stores
Emart has grown by buying other companies.
- In May 2006, Emart bought all the Walmart stores in South Korea. These 16 Walmart stores were then changed into Emart stores.
- On May 13, 2011, Emart bought Kim's Club Mart.
- In 2018, Emart bought an American company called Good Food Holdings, Inc. This company owns popular grocery stores like Bristol Farms.
- In early 2020, Emart's Good Food Holdings also bought another grocery chain called New Seasons Market.
- In January 2022, Emart bought most of eBay Korea, which it renamed "Gmarket Global". This means Emart now owns a big online shopping platform too.
New Store Formats
Emart has also created different types of stores.
- In 2021, Emart started opening Emart24 convenience stores in Malaysia. These smaller stores offer quick shopping options.
- In December 2022, Emart24 stores also launched in Singapore. The company plans to open many more of these stores there in the future.
See also
In Spanish: E-mart para niños
