Shinsegae’s convenience store chain Emart24 on Tuesday released new welfare policies for franchisees as part of shared growth efforts.

The convenience store chain will be offering franchisees financial support for their children’s education at the same level as regular employees of the company. Depending on the number of years a franchisee has operated an outlet, the funding can be used for various levels of education from kindergarten to college.

In addition, Emart24 said that its pay-back system, which gives cash paybacks equal to 1 percent of all products ordered by franchisees, returned 300 million won ($268,000) to franchise owners in October. The policy has been in effect since Oct. 1.

Emart24, which was formerly known as With Me, is currently undergoing rebranding to improve its image among consumers. So far, 1,475 of 2,477 stores have completed rebranding steps such as changing store signs. 

According to the company, stores that completed the rebranding saw an average increase of 9 percent in visitors and an 8 percent increase in daily revenue.

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)