E-Land Retail: how its people are moving

Banseog note · Oct 25, 2026

E-Land Retail — standing up again by cutting stores and focusing on food and off-price

Where it stands now

Turnaround — consolidating profitability through store efficiency and direct food sourcing

2025 consolidated revenue was KRW 1.5333 trillion and operating profit KRW 37.2 billion.

First-quarter 2026 consolidated revenue was KRW 384.6 billion (+2.5%) and operating profit KRW 22.1 billion (an improvement of KRW 19.6 billion), with net profit of KRW 2.2 billion marking its first quarterly profit since COVID-19.

According to Korea's National Pension Service public workplace data, the number of people on the pension register was 1,838 in August 2026, down 138 (7.0%) from October 2025. In that period 216 people joined and 344 left, as the workforce was adjusted in line with the store reorganization.

Three decisions within a year

1. NC Picks Gangseo expansion: in July 2026 the off-price store NC Picks Gangseo was enlarged from 200 pyeong to about 320 pyeong, and the number of brands carried rose from 240 to 400. The same model will be rolled out in turn, starting with the key stores among the 10 nationwide.
2. Stronger direct sourcing from producing regions at Kim's Club: in March 2026 the company increased its tomato-producing regions from three to seven, securing about 50 tonnes, five times the usual amount, and is making Kim's Club-centered direct sourcing and deli and fresh food operations the pillars of food profitability.
3. Store reorganization: the reorganization to raise store efficiency at urban outlets such as NC, NewCore and 2001 Outlet continues, and 2001 Outlet Bupyeong, whose lease had ended, closed in August 2026.

Three people it will look for

1. Off-price merchandiser and buyer — as NC Picks stores are enlarged, the number of brands and products is rising sharply
2. Food sourcing merchandiser for producing regions — Kim's Club direct sourcing and deli and fresh food are driving the improvement in earnings
3. Store strategy and asset efficiency — urban outlet stores are being reorganized and the cost structure changed

For HR

Off-price buyers and fresh food merchandisers are sought by hypermarkets, outlet operators and warehouse stores alike. Now that the company has returned to profit, it is best to secure a buying leader before the NC Picks expansion gets fully under way.

For job seekers

Experience in off-price buying, direct trade with fresh food producing regions, and store renewal is worth the most at this company right now.

A reading written from public sources. Sources: News Tomato 2026-10-20 (2025 consolidated results); Korea Financial Newspaper 2026-05-29 (first-quarter results); BetaNews 2026-05-29 (direct food sourcing, deli operations); Hankook Ilbo 2026-07-16 (NC Picks Gangseo); Newspim 2026-03-17 (Kim's Club tomato-producing regions); Newspim 2026-10-08 (closure of Bupyeong store); Korea's National Pension Service public workplace data (headcount). Team size is from Korea's pension register.