As reported by Samsung Card on the 18th, the count of new unmanned store franchises increased by 27% in June this year when compared to June 2023. This stands in stark contrast to a 19% drop in total new franchises during the same time frame, indicating significant expansion.
Unmanned retail areas consist of coin-operated laundromats, karaoke booths, ice cream kiosks, study cafes, photo studios, and gacha stores, with around 12,000 outlets. Due to minimal initial investment and their attraction to younger people, individuals in their 20s and 30s make up 20% of those running unmanned stores.
Although the average sales in unmanned sectors such as photo booths, coin-operated karaoke, and laundromats have dropped, so-called “gacha shops” — inspired by Japanese gacha-style vending machines — are experiencing significant success. Particularly, the number of gacha shops has grown quickly in the last one to two years. In June 2024, amusement arcades and gacha shops made up only 1% of unmanned stores, but this proportion climbed to 8% by June 2026. During the past two years, sales at karaoke rooms, ice cream outlets, study cafes, laundromats, and photo studios have all fallen, while sales at amusement arcades and gacha shops have increased by 1.8 times.
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