29-Pyeong Apartment as a Whole... The Evolution of Department Store Lifestyle Shops

Shinsegae Uijeongbu Store Opens 'Style Living' on the 31st

Industry's First Apartment Model House Concept Showroom

Beyond Product Display, Solving Home Decoration Concerns

A Lifestyle Store Where Customers Can Experience Directly

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Shinsegae Department Store is launching an experiential lifestyle store that shares interior design know-how.

Shinsegae Department Store announced on the 30th that it will unveil 'Style Living,' a lifestyle showroom with an apartment model house concept, on the 8th floor lifestyle store of its Uijeongbu branch on the 31st.

'Style Living' replicates the interior of a 29-pyeong apartment composed of an entrance, living room, kitchen, master bedroom, children's room, and study within the store. It is decorated with various lifestyle genre products, including home appliances, furniture, and accessories, tailored to each space's concept. Shinsegae Uijeongbu Store is the first in the industry to introduce an apartment concept showroom in a department store. Notably, since Shinsegae operates this space directly, customers can view products from multiple brands in one place, expanding their range of choices beyond specific brand products.

'Style Living' is planned to be a permanent store rather than a limited-time popup. The theme will change quarterly to offer customers not only the latest products but also various interior design methods.

Each space showcases the latest key products sold in actual lifestyle stores, such as refrigerators, washing machines, sofas, TVs, and various kitchenware. For example, the living room features LG Electronics' latest TV and Signature humidifying air purifier, while the kitchen is equipped with Samsung Electronics' Bespoke refrigerator and built-in dishwasher, among other cutting-edge appliances.

All products have brief descriptions and prices displayed, allowing customers to immediately check information while browsing. Additionally, staff inside the showroom provide guidance, enabling one-stop purchase consultations within the store.

Shinsegae Department Store chose to launch 'Style Living' first at the Uijeongbu branch because it judged that the potential new customer base there is larger than at other stores. The core commercial areas of Uijeongbu City and Namyangju City, key markets for Shinsegae Uijeongbu Store, are expected to see 15,000 new households moving in this year.

Shinsegae Department Store plans to expand 'Style Living' starting with the Uijeongbu branch to new stores as well as during renovations of existing stores.

Yoo Shin-yeol, Head of Sales at Shinsegae Department Store, explained, "We will continue to incorporate various ideas beyond industry boundaries into our stores so that customers can have more experiences and hands-on opportunities."

Meanwhile, as customer interest in home decoration has increased in recent years, Shinsegae Department Store has been strengthening its living genre by opening lifestyle specialty zones in key stores.

In 2016, the Gangnam branch opened 'Shinsegae Home,' a 2,000-pyeong lifestyle specialty zone, for the first time alongside its renovation. 'Shinsegae Home' was designed by world-renowned interior designer Patricia Urquiola, who also designed the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Barcelona, Spain.

In 2017, a lifestyle specialty zone was also opened at the Busan Centum City branch. Centum City, the world's largest department store, renovated its lifestyle specialty zone to become the largest in Korea. The lifestyle floor, previously on the 7th floor, was expanded to the 8th floor to create a duplex space, covering 2,400 pyeong?40% larger than the Gangnam branch. The number of brands housed also reached about 150, the largest in the industry.

Last year, the Yeongdeungpo branch introduced a lifestyle specialty zone with a total sales area of approximately 1,500 pyeong, the highest level in the western commercial district, for the first time in the industry by occupying an entire separate building. Despite the store area increasing by about 70% compared to before, sales in the first month after opening tripled. This growth rate was ten times higher than the overall sales growth rate of Shinsegae Department Store's living genre during the same period.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.