Homeplus CEO Lim Il-soon to resign
Homeplus CEO Im Il-soon, left, shakes hands with an employee at a store in Incheon, in December 2020. / Courtesy of Homeplus
By Kim Jae-heun
Lim Il-soon is stepping down from her position as Homeplus CEO.
According to the retailer, Lim offered to resign over personal matters in the second half of last year and the company accepted her decision.
Homeplus originally tried to dissuade Lim but she was insistent and the company decided to respect her wishes.
It has not been confirmed when Lim will end her tenure but the company expects it to be within a week or two.
Lim came to Homeplus as the chief financial officer in November 2015 and served as chief operations officer two years later. However, after only five months, she was promoted to CEO in October 2017.
Lim has set many records in her career.
She was the first woman outside of a chaebol owner family to become a CEO in the local retail industry.
Lim is the first CEO to hire 99 percent of employees as permanent workers after changing 15,000 temporary positions to permanent ones. She carried this action out in her third year as CEO, leading a people-centered employment culture.
She has successfully strengthened the firm's online business to create synergy with supermarkets following the global trend to move online.
For example, Lim used a number of outlets as fulfillment centers in areas where demand for online orders was high ― so customers could purchase items online and pick them up at the nearby branch.
She also launched Homeplus Special stores combining the advantages of warehouse stores with supermarkets. There she sold a number of popular house brand products that contributed to an increase in sales.
“Lim has deep insight in retail business and based on her excellent strategy, she turned Homeplus into a future retail company. She has already prepared a business plan for 2021 to minimize the impact of her vacant position when she leaves,” a Homeplus official said.
Homeplus has yet to find a new leader and it is currently talking with several candidates.