Emart opens low-price household goods shops to compete with Daiso

Emart opened two Wow Shop stores in Seoul on October 22, selling low-priced household goods.

The shops offer items from 1,000 to 10,000 won, including small appliances, cosmetics, stationery and pet supplies.

The move targets Daiso, South Korea’s leading low-price household goods chain, whose prices generally top out at 5,000 won.

Emart says it has developed 12,000 products for the format, with each store expected to display 7,000 to 8,000.

The shops aim to revive sales of non-food goods, a part of big supermarkets’ business that has lost ground to online shopping and specialist retailers.

Emart’s offer includes some products that overlap with goods in its main stores, so shoppers switching to cheaper items could limit any overall sales gain.

Emart plans to expand Wow Shop to five specialist stores this year and add dedicated sections in Emart and Emart Everyday stores.