Department Stores Transform into MZ Playgrounds... "Sneaker Resellers and Chukdeok Gather"

Lotte Department Store Yeongdeungpo Branch 'Dramatic Transformation'
Targeting Full Renovation by December This Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] The first floor of the department store has been transformed by relocating the 1030 hot places centered around brands that the MZ generation is enthusiastic about. Yeongdeungpo Branch, which is undergoing a full renovation aiming for completion in December this year, is a representative example. In May this year, Yeongdeungpo Branch first expanded and reopened its children's and infant specialty section by 50%, and plans to renovate and open each floor sequentially.

Broke the Tradition of 'Cosmetics' on the First Floor of Department Stores

According to Lotte Department Store on the 23rd, the core of this Yeongdeungpo Branch renovation is to actively introduce content that interests the MZ generation on the 1st and 2nd floors, which are the faces of the department store. Above all, it broke the tradition of the first floor of department stores being composed of overseas luxury brands and cosmetics. It was judged that it would no longer be easy to capture the hearts of the emerging consumer base, the MZ generation, with the existing format.

Additionally, a flagship concept store of the new-concept emotional convenience store 'Going Mary,' which is hot on SNS, will be introduced on the first floor. The 'emotional' convenience store, differentiated from typical convenience stores, is expected to attract attention with a unique curation that the MZ generation would like. It adopts the form of a convenience store and adds Going Mary's unique B-grade sensibility. Going Mary operates stores in Jonggak, Insadong, Euljiro, etc., combining an emotional convenience store with a fine dining concept snack bar where customers can easily and comfortably enjoy emotional convenience and premium food culture.

The Going Mary model to be launched at Yeongdeungpo Branch aims to expand the existing concept by adding performance elements to raw materials such as meat, seafood, and bread, pursuing both visual enjoyment and fresh taste simultaneously. In collaboration with Lotte Department Store, it will create a ramen curation space called 'Ramen Baekjak,' including fun elements to help create a second 'Yokai Ramen,' and plans various attempts.

Going Mary is a planning company that caused a sensation by selling 70,000 units of Yokai Ramen within a month of its launch. At Going Mary Emotional Convenience Store, they sell their own products such as Concept Dumplings, Concept Fried Rice, Yokai Milk, Space Toffee, Dalgwae (Dalgona), Clean Freak Yokai (wet tissues), as well as food and daily necessities like wine, beer, and imported snacks. In short, you can encounter new and innovative items of a new concept.

Playground for Soccer Fans and Sneaker Enthusiasts

In addition, limited edition specialty stores such as the sneaker select shop 'Out of Stock' and the soccer uniform replica select shop 'Over the Pitch' will open. These select shops reflect the MZ generation's demand for limited edition products that embody their unique tastes.

First, the country's first limited edition sneaker resale platform 'Out of Stock' plans to implement the country's first offline sneaker resale exchange. Keeping pace with the sneaker-tech (Sneaker+tech) trend, a new concept consumption and investment culture, Out of Stock will open an offline store of about 40 pyeong on the first floor of Yeongdeungpo Branch. This is the industry's first attempt to implement an online web/app-based resale platform offline.

At the Out of Stock offline store, not only limited edition sneakers will be sold, but various exhibitions and pop-up events related to limited edition sneaker culture will be held. In addition, services that will captivate sneaker enthusiasts such as counterfeit authentication, custom services in collaboration with various artists, and product repair and maintenance services will be provided.

Targeting domestic soccer fandom in collaboration with 'Over the Pitch,' which specializes in selling limited edition football replicas. This reflects the trend of rapid growth in the soccer replica market as a fan base forms due to the expansion of fandom for European soccer leagues and domestic soccer teams. As more celebrities wear soccer uniforms as daily wear, uniforms have settled as street fashion items for the MZ generation, establishing themselves as a subculture along with limited edition customizing culture. Replicas refer to licensed copies of uniforms worn by players in various sports sold to the general public. Additionally, a customizing service zone is planned. This is expected to become a tailored place for domestic soccer fans by resolving the inconveniences of existing replica purchase methods such as overseas direct purchase or transactions between online individual sellers.

Son Eu-kyung, head of MD Development at Lotte Department Store, said, “Through this renovation of Yeongdeungpo Branch, by creating a cultural space unique to the younger generation through well-known brands, Yeongdeungpo Branch will become a complex cultural space where the MZ generation can experience a new lifestyle.”

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