CJ Group Chairman Chairman Sohn Kyung-shik delivers his New Year’s message.(Photos:CJ Group)

In its New Year’s message, CJ Group unveiled a plan to realize a 2nd business renaissance, based on creative business portfolios the group has achieved by transforming a food company into a cultural company.

“Our group has creative business portfolios, and now is a time for us to devote ourselves to realizing a second business renaissance by making the most of the creative business portfolios and contributing to promoting the creative economy.” “I expect this year to be a year for us at CJ to make concerted efforts to create the creative economy the way we can do on our own,” Chairman Sohn Kyung-shik said in the message. 

Citing the Korean movie “Kukje Market” that has been a sensation of late, Chairman Sohn recalled CheilJedang’s chronicle of promoting business, which played a large part in helping delivering Korea from poverty in the 1960s and ‘70s, and realize the “Miracle on the Han.”

The group expounded the 2015 management tenets that focus on future growth and profitability. 

Chairman Sohn expressed worry over the exacerbating business conditions during 2015, coupled with uncertainties of the global economy and cut-throat competition among Korean domestic demand-oriented companies. He set 2015 business tasks: securing future growth engines with a focus on global businesses, maximizing profits through innovation of business portfolios, and innovation of its corporate culture and settlement of creating shared values (CSV). 

Sohn called for each business unit to strengthen its core capacity to solidify the No. 1 position and improve the investment efficiency of existing businesses and cash flow. 

Expressing worry over the management vacuum caused by the prolonged absence of CJ Group Chairman Lee Jay-hyun, Sohn stressed that his executives and staff members’ must step up and try their hardest. 

CJ Group has devoted itself to creating an innovative business model in which social values and companywide growth and profits can coexist through full-fledged CSV activities, Sohn said. He added that CJ will have to realize the motto “beloved CJ” by accelerating innovation of its corporate culture and settling down CSV.

Despite last year’s bleak business conditions, he said a plurality of CJ subsidiaries have reaped significant performances. 

CJ CheilJedang saw its profits rise by innovating the business structure of the food division, expanding value-added products and improving unit prices, while CJ Korea Express Corp. is poised to rise to a global logistics company by putting its home delivery segment on the right track and having synergetic effects stemming from merging Korea Express and CJ GLS. 

CJ E&M saw the film “Roaring Currents,” invested and distributed by the company, which attracted a record 17 million spectators. The TV channel tvN’s drama “Misaeng” (still not alive) and the entertainment program “Samsisaeki” (three daily meals) have been extremely popular.