[COVER STORY] Homeplus reopening draws crowds amid hopes, concerns
SEOUL/SEONGNAM, Gyeonggi Province — People started showing up in front of the main entrance of the Homeplus in southwestern Seoul's Gangseo District before its 10 a.m. opening Thursday. Some 30 minutes before, the crowd of mostly older adults began lining up in front of the local outlet. For the past 31 days, the store has remained closed as the company temporarily suspended operations due to a…
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Seoul and neighboring Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province — The main entrance of the Homeplus store in southwestern Seoul's Gangseo District was filled with eager shoppers before its 10 a.m. opening on Thursday. The line of mostly senior citizens had begun forming at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. Homeplus had been closed for the past 31 days due to the retailer's temporary suspension of operations, as the company struggled with a lack of operating funds during its rehabilitation process.
The store reopened following a recent decision by a Seoul court, which granted the financially strained retailer another opportunity and set the new deadline for approval of its rehabilitation plan to September 4.
One local resident, who lives near the store, expressed her thoughts on the reopening, mentioning that prior to the temporary closure on July 13, the Homeplus Gangseo store had shelves nearly empty of essential items such as eggs and milk. Despite the lack of these basic necessities, she decided to visit the store on the reopening day, noting that Homeplus often offered affordable prices and discounted items.
When the store opened, visitors were permitted entry 15 minutes prior to the official 10 a.m. opening. However, when over 100 customers began queuing in front of the store, it became evident that the reopening had generated significant interest and anticipation from the local community.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
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- Homeplus reopening draws crowds amid hopes, concerns koreatimes.co.kr
