[르포] “Can the department store be so hip?”…’The Hyundai Seoul’ in Yeouido, naked

[서울=뉴스핌] Reporter Goo Hye-rin = “I didn’t know if a department store could be’hip+place’ like this.”

These are the words of a consumer looking around the second basement floor of’The Hyundai Seoul’. Before the opening, there was a point that the large luxury brand was insufficient compared to the scale, but it seems to have succeeded in drawing the attention of consumers.

Yeouido The Hyundai Seoul, the largest department store in Seoul, was officially opened to the public on the 26th. With the promotion of’a department store that broke the official department store’, we looked into the side of this place that was hot from the pre-opening.

Interior view from the 3rd floor of The Hyundai Seoul [서울=뉴스핌] Reporter Goo Hye-rin 2021.02.25 [email protected]

◆From’Lightning Market’ to’Arquette’… All of the’first’ stores are here

The Hyundai Seoul is a department store with a taste for’Generation MZ’ (Millennium + Gen Z). First, young stores that are difficult to find in Korea have gathered here. Upon entering the basement 2nd floor, ▲H&M’s high-end brand’Arquette’ ▲’BGZT (Lightning Market) Lab’, a sneaker resell store ▲Seongsu-dong stationery store’Point of View’ greets consumers. Arquette is the first store in Asia.

The first basement floor where food and beverage stores are located is the largest in Korea (4438 pyeong). Compared to Hyundai Department Store located in Pangyo, Gyeonggi-do, it has a larger 300 ratings. The goal of this place is to decorate the’Seoul Food Culture Spreading Space’ rather than a department store food hall that has no big difference from hypermarkets. ▲From stores that can not be found in department stores such as’Eggslot’ developed by SPC ▲’Sooty’, a BBQ brand made by popular restaurants such as’Mongtan’ and’Gold Pig Restaurant’, stand out.

The unmanned store is also the pride of The Hyundai Seoul. On the 6th floor of The Hyundai Seoul, there is an’Uncommon Store’ illuminated in red. This space is operated by Hyundai IT&E, an affiliate of Hyundai Department Store. The motion detection sensor and automatic payment system installed in the famous U.S. unmanned store’Amazongo’ are also applied here. There are already many unmanned convenience stores in Korea, but the Uncommon Store sells overseas sweets, jelly, and small items.

Cultural contents for the 20s and 30s are also impressive. ‘ALT.1’, prepared on the 6th floor above the ground, starts the End War Hall battle from this day. In this complex cultural space of 350 pyeong, various cultural contents will be presented in the future. An official at Hyundai Department Store said, “We have made various attempts to present contents that meet the new premium standards of the MZ generation,” and said, “You will be able to enjoy a break like a trip in a special space.”

‘BGZT (Lightning Market) Lab’, a sneaker resell store [서울=뉴스핌] Reporter Goo Hye-rin 2021.02.25 [email protected]

◆”Come to Yeouido this weekend”…Hyundai Hundred’s unprecedented experiment

The Hyundai Seoul is the experiment of Hyundai Department Store itself. The gap between stores and stores is wider than the complex shopping mall’Star Field’. It is not only one floor, but the structure from the 2nd basement to the 6th floor above ground. Stores in store also have a leisurely space between product displays. Overall, it is a department store that gives the impression of being’baggy’. Even though it was possible to maximize sales by filling the store tightly, it gave a’discount’ to the design.

Rather than the modifier for Seoul’s largest department store, it seems more correct to explain that’the largest rest area’. The department store has two 12-meter-tall artificial waterfalls in the center. On the 6th floor, there is a large forest called’Sounds Forest Garden’. A visitor who was looking at the artificial waterfall in the lobby said, “It’s nice to have a lot of space to relax,” and said, “It’s like a department store optimized for the era of corona’s’distance’.”

The experiment of Hyundai Department Store seems to be a choice considering the spatial specificity of Yeouido. Yeouido has no large shopping centers other than IFC Mall. Residents of nearby Mapo and Yongsan visit Myeongdong or Yeongdeungpo Lotte Department Store and Shinsegae Department Store on weekends. There is no special content for family-level customers to visit Yeouido on the weekend. Hyundai Department Store had to create a’deliberately visited’ space for the revival of the Yeouido weekend business district.

However, there are also obvious drawbacks. In the background that Hyundai Department Store was able to create a ‘1 trillion sales department store’ after 5 years of opening its Pangyo store, luxury MDs are indispensable. The Hyundai Seoul, too, is an important factor in becoming a member of the’Trillion Club’. However, The Hyundai Seoul is not equipped with powerful brands such as’Dior’,’Givesi’ and’Rolex’, let alone the three luxury goods’Louis Vuitton’,’Hermes’ and’Chanel’.

Hyundai Department Store exceeded its target sales for both days of opening on the 24th and 25th. An official at Hyundai Department Store said, “We are currently in consultation with a number of famous luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton. We plan to continue to reinforce luxury brands even after opening.”

‘Sounds Forest Garden’ on the 6th floor of The Hyundai Seoul[서울=뉴스핌] Reporter Goo Hye-rin 2021.02.25 [email protected]

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