"Hanwoo Sold Out in 5 Minutes"… 'Open Run' Starts on Day One

[Anchor]

Homeplus, which had faced the brink of bankruptcy, reopened its doors after a month. Customers rushed in from early in the morning upon hearing the news of bargain prices.

Reporter Choi Seung-hun has the details.

[Reporter]

[Please move slowly. Just go slowly. Slowly.]

At 10:00 AM, as business began, customers waiting in front of the store pushed their carts and rushed inside.

The half-price Hanwoo (Korean beef) display shelves were packed shoulder to shoulder, and the first batch sold out in less than five minutes.

Half-price red bean bread also sold out in an instant, forming a line of people waiting for a new batch of bread.

[Park Cheon-woong / Yangcheon-gu, Seoul: They are selling delicious bread cheaply today, so I came to buy some. If I leave this spot empty, my wife might scold me...]

The number of officially reopened Homeplus stores is 67.

Homeplus, which is currently undergoing corporate rehabilitation procedures, had temporarily suspended operations last month due to a cash crunch, but reopened after securing 200 billion won in emergency operating funds.

Homeplus has set out to win back customers through massive discount events.

[Hwang Ye-won / Gangseo-gu, Seoul: It's right in front of my house so I always came here, but it was really inconvenient because there was nowhere to go grocery shopping...]

[Lee Jung-shin / Gangseo-gu, Seoul: My heart ached so much when I thought it was disappearing. I am so glad and full of gratitude that it reopened today.]

In-store tenants could not hide their expectations at the return of customers.

[Son Jong-wook / Homeplus Tenant Store Owner: Since it opened, a lot more customers came and bought things. As long as they keep the doors open, sales should continue to go well.]

The fate of Homeplus is expected to reach a major turning point at the stakeholders' meeting scheduled for September 2.

It is the day when creditors, shareholders, and other interested parties gather to decide whether to approve the rehabilitation plan submitted by Homeplus.

Since whether the stakeholders accept it in the first place is crucial to the rehabilitation court's deliberation, the key until then will be to retain customers, restore the trust of suppliers, and normalize product supply.

(Camera Reporter: Kim Hak-mo | Video Editor: Jung Yong-hwa)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.