UK supermarket group Tesco has announced it has agreed with Samsung Corporation to extend their retail joint venture in Homeplus in South Korea until at least 2011.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more


The original five-year agreement was signed in 1999. As part of the agreement, Tesco will buy a further 10% of Homeplus shares from Samsung Corporation over the next seven years, taking its interest to 99%. 


“We are delighted to be extending our successful joint venture with Samsung Corporation. Together we have built-up a world-class business and are very excited about the future growth opportunities in Korea,” said Andrew Higginson, Tesco’s finance and strategy director.


These share purchases will be in two stages, the first in July 2007 and the second in July 2011. The total consideration, which is estimated to be around £200m, depends on the performance of the business in the years prior to the two transactions and will be based on multiples of EBITDA. 


Since the creation of the joint venture in May 1999, when Tesco purchased a controlling 51% interest in Homeplus from Samsung, the business has grown rapidly, and now has 30 hypermarkets. Tesco increased its interest in Homeplus to 81% in June 1999 and to 89% in February 2002.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact