E-mart opens 1st No Brand-dedicated store in Mongolia

E-mart said Friday it has opened its first standalone No Brand store in Mongolia, bolstering its position as a global export platform for Korea’s small and medium-sized enterprises.

No Brand, a supermarket brand created by E-mart in 2015, offers budget-friendly products and its purpose is to provide high-quality essential items by focusing entirely on the product itself rather than a brand name.

The 836-square-meter store located in Ulaanbaatar’s Yarmag district is the largest standalone No Brand store outside Korea. The store offers around 5,000 products, including some 1,100 No Brand items alongside Korean and locally sourced goods. According to E-mart, about 70 percent of No Brand products are produced by domestic SMEs.

Earlier this week, E-mart signed a memorandum of understanding with local partner SKY Hypermarket LLC after being selected for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA’s overseas retail expansion support program.

Under the agreement, the companies will cooperate on enhancing brand awareness, increasing sales of Korean products and carrying out joint marketing initiatives in Mongolia.

E-mart highlighted that the launch of the No Brand store builds on its decade of operations in Mongolia, where it has established six stores since opening its first outlet in 2016. The retailer operates a mix of large-format and neighborhood stores tailored to different commercial districts. According to E-mart, its Mongolian stores now attract an average of around 30,000 visitors each weekend day.

The retailer said No Brand products have gained traction in the market. Sales of No Brand merchandise in Mongolia exceeded 10 billion won ($6.6 million) last year and are projected to surpass 12 billion won this year.

Looking ahead, E-mart said it plans to expand the standalone No Brand network to 15 stores by 2028 while establishing a dedicated logistics cluster for the brand in Mongolia. Over the longer term, the company aims to operate 50 stores across the country within the next decade.

“The No Brand store represents a new growth engine built on the distribution expertise and customer trust that E-mart has accumulated in Mongolia over the past 10 years,” said E-mart CEO Han Chae-yang.

“We will continue expanding K-retail platforms that help outstanding Korean products enter overseas markets while creating growth opportunities for both local consumers and Korean businesses.”