Homelus, a hypermart chain, said Thursday it was starting open recruitment for its supermarket brand, Homeplus Express, a first in three years since 2017, after the company was acquired by MBK Partners, a private equity firm. With the recruitment, Homeplus said it seeks to strengthen its supermarket business, which shows consistent growth while the offline retail industry is struggling overall, and also to provide job opportunities to college graduates seeking jobs amid the pandemic. The re

Consumer Nov. 5, 2020

Renault Samsung Motors said Wednesday it had started a race contest with the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea involving its electric vehicle Twizy, to encourage donations from ECCK member firms. The automaker said it is participating in the event hosted by the ECCK, as the main sponsor to provide five units of its ultracompact model, Twizy. For the four-day event, the five Twizy cars departed from Seoul and will stop at Daejeon and Daegu before arriving in Busan on Friday. The fundrai

Mobility Nov. 4, 2020

진행자: 조혜림, Brolley Genster 1. [Weekender] Red, white and rose chase coronavirus blues away 요약: 코로나 시대에 홈술 인기, 와인 대중화 가속화[1] With the growing popularity of imported wine -- mostly affordable wines from ever-diversifying regions, including Eastern Europe -- a major shift in Koreans’ wine consumption pattern is underway. And the coronavirus-triggered stay-at-home culture is accelerating its arrival. *ever-diversifying 어느 때보다 다양해진 *underway 진행중인 *triggered 촉발된  [2] A myriad of choice

Podcast Nov. 4, 2020

Nongshim, a South Korean food company, said Wednesday that it expects record-high overseas sales of $990 million this year with its flagship instant noodle brand Shin Ramyun. According to Nongshim, the overseas sales forecast is up about 24 percent on-year, as the demand for instant noodles jumped across the world in the wake of COVID-19. By year-end, sales of Shin Ramyun will reach about $390 million, Nongshim said. Shin Ramyun has been chosen as one of the world’s best instant noodl

Consumer Nov. 4, 2020

Lee Eun-ji, 28, recently started to take golf lessons. For long, she had thought golf was sports for people her parents’ age, but this year, it came to her as a nice outdoor activity to enjoy, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Frankly, I thought golf would be boring because it looked like a quiet sport. But with COVID-19 keeping me at home, I looked for different outdoor activities and landed at golf,” Lee, an office worker in Seoul told The Korea Herald. Similar to L

Consumer Nov. 3, 2020

In the era of the “fourth industrial revolution,” digitalization is inevitable for businesses. In this vein, Han Sung Motor, an official Mercedes-Benz dealer, is presenting a digital pop-up store to promote the German-brand and its vision for digitalizing the automobile industry. On Friday, the auto dealer held a three-day showroom, dubbed Han Sung Digital Park in Coex, Seoul. There, the auto dealer displayed Mercedes-Benz EQC 400, the first electric vehicle for the automaker, and

Mobility Nov. 2, 2020

SPC Group said Thursday it has opened a new Baskin Robbins outlet, designed in the traditional Korean style Hanok building. Located in Jongno, central Seoul, the Baskin Robbins Samcheong Madang is Baskin Robins’ 10th concept store, inspired by the idea of harmonizing the traditional and the modern, the group explained. The ice cream parlor has been constructed using traditional tiles, wooden pillars and with a surrounding fence to give it the look of a traditional hanok building, the

Consumer Oct. 29, 2020

Volkswagen Korea aims to “democratize” the imported vehicle market here with a robust lineup of eight models, the company said Thursday. Reiterating the goal the company announced in 2018, the automaker said it aimed to expand its vehicle portfolio in South Korea and offer them at reasonable prices to compete with Korean brand automobiles. With its popular sports utility vehicle Tiguan in lead, the automaker said its sales tripled in the first three quarters this year, compared

Mobility Oct. 29, 2020

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Korea said Wednesday that it is releasing the All-New Wrangler Willys edition, presenting just 100 units here. According to the company, the All-New Wrangler Willys edition was inspired by the Willys Overland CJ-3A -- the “father” of modern recreational vehicles, which was introduced around the end of 1948. The four-door off-roader has a hood that displays a decal exclusive to the Willys and a black seven-slot grille that hints at the original Willys, t

Mobility Oct. 29, 2020

Coupang, an e-commerce giant, issued a statement Tuesday claiming that facts surrounding the death of a contract worker were being distorted. Denying claims that the short-term worker had died of overwork, Coupang said it will take strong actions against those who spread distortions. On Oct. 12, the short-term contract worker, who worked at Coupang’s Daegu Logistics Center, was found dead after returning home at around 6 a.m. Over this, there have been claims that the worker died of ov

Consumer Oct. 27, 2020

ETAS Korea said Tuesday it has agreed to cooperate with KPMG Samjong Accounting on automobile security business. In June 2020, the UNECE’s World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations recently adopted a regulation on cyber security to mandate automakers and auto part producers to put in place a system to tackle security risks prior to putting vehicles on the market. UNECE stands for United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Accordingly, all new cars to be registered in Eu

Mobility Oct. 27, 2020

BMW Korea said Monday its BMW Driving Center in Yeongjongdo, Incheon celebrated an accumulated 1 million visitors, since opening in August 2014. The BMW Driving Center offers various hands-on programs, such as test-drives on its 2.6-kilometer driving track and education courses for children.  The center in Yeongjongdo is the company‘s first to be built in Asia and the third in the world, after Germany and the US, the company said. Written by Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)

Mobility Oct. 26, 2020

Logistics firm Hanjin Express said Monday it would stop nighttime delivery shifts starting November, after one of its couriers died apparently from overwork. It is the first time a local logistic company has abolished night shifts. To prevent overwork and control the workload, Hanjin said it will increase both the number of delivery vehicles and delivery workers during holiday periods and times when there is more demand. “As delivery packages are concentrated on Tuesdays and Wednesda

Consumer Oct. 26, 2020

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won highlighted the importance of creating a “financial story” for its affiliates, and how it can lead to a jump in corporate value when added with trust from the market and support from society. In the closing ceremony of the company’s annual CEO seminar held in Jeju Island, Chey spoke to the group management of the group’s vision. “The previous evaluation of corporate value, which centered on financial achievements such as sales and o

Industry Oct. 23, 2020

South Korean steelmaker Posco and its affiliates posted an operating profit of 666.7 billion won ($588.6 million) in the third quarter, down 35.9 percent from the same time a year earlier. The total revenue reached 14.26 trillion won in the same period, down 10.8 percent on-year, and the net profit stood at 514 billion won, up 3.5 percent, the company said. While the quarterly performance stands short of the year before, the operating profit still jumped 297.5 percent on-quarter. Looking at

Industry Oct. 23, 2020