[르포] ‘The Hyundai Seoul’ also satisfied with Chairman Ji-seon Jung… Broke a department store

▲ The largest department store in Seoul appeared. It’s not just the scale. Natural light pouring through the glass ceiling, 12m high artificial waterfall, 11,240m2 of landscape space. It completely broke the frame of department stores that are commonly thought of. This is the appearance of’The Hyundai Seoul’, which is officially opening its doors in Yeouido Park One in Seoul on the 26th.ⓒ Han Ji-myeong

The largest department store in Seoul appeared. It’s not just the scale. Natural light pouring through the glass ceiling, 12m high artificial waterfall, 11,240m2 of landscape space. It completely broke the frame of department stores that are commonly thought of. This is the appearance of’The Hyundai Seoul’, which is officially opening in Yeouido Park One in Seoul on the 26th.

◇ I erased the stereotype of the department store… “Combining the advantages of shopping malls and department stores”

‘The Hyundai Seoul’, who visited at 11 am on the 24th, made a great deal with customers even in Corona 19. Upon entering the first floor, the eyes were overwhelmed by a sense of openness that could not be considered a department store. This is because the warm sunlight shined through the 8m-long store passage and the courtyard glass windows that open up to the 6th floor.

‘The Hyundai Seoul’, which erased’department store’ from its name, has a big difference compared to the existing Hyundai department store. The Hyundai Seoul drastically reduced the area of ​​stores selling products to 51%, which is half of the total business area. Of the total business area (89,100㎡), only 51% of the store area (45,527㎡) occupies.

Instead, the rest of the space was decorated with interior landscaping and customer rest areas, and the movement of customers was expanded. ‘Waterfall Garden’, an artificial waterfall that coolly falls from a height of 12m on the first floor, and’Sounds Forest’, an indoor green park on the 5th floor, is decorated with 30 trees, various flowers, and natural grass.

▲’The Hyundai Seoul’, which deleted’department store’ from its name, has a big difference compared to the existing Hyundai department store. The Hyundai Seoul drastically reduced the area of ​​stores selling products to 51%, which is half of the total business area. Of the total operating area (89,100㎡), the share of the store area (45,527㎡) is only 51%. ⓒ Ji-Myung Han

This is a different approach from Hyundai Department Store’s Pangyo branch, which had a food hall. About 600 brands have entered the Pangyo branch (91,416㎡), the largest in the metropolitan area, while the Hyundai Seoul (89,100㎡) has 400 brands. The ratio of store area to business area is about 30% lower than the average (65%) of 15 Hyundai Department Store stores.

Although the number of brands has decreased, the store has expanded to increase the product range and make shopping possible. An official at Hyundai Department Store said, “The advantages of shopping malls and department stores are combined for a convenient shopping environment for customers. Even with the same brand, the store is large, so you can bring in the entire product line. It was intensively organized to make it easier to shop.”

The most crowded places for customers were on the 5th to 6th floors with’Green Dome’. It broke the stereotype of’department stores have no windows’ and introduced’dome ceiling’. In the’Sounds Forest’ of 3300m2 (1000 pyeong), 30 trees and flowers are planted along with natural grass. The specialty coffee brand’Blue Bottle’ was followed by a long line of close to 20m, and the rest areas were filled with customers enjoying meals and coffee.

▲ The unmanned store’Uncommon Store’ on the 6th floor was also unveiled. Hyundai IT&E, a specialized IT company of Hyundai Department Store Group, applied its own technology developed in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), raising expectations even before the opening.