Hyundai Livart Increases Accessibility by Expanding 'Williams Sonoma' Compact Stores

Expansion Focused on Department Stores and Outlets, Store Compacting, etc.
"Increasing Number of Stores to Enhance Customer Accessibility"

Hyundai Livart announced on the 2nd that it will apply changes to the store opening strategy of the exclusively sold American home furnishing brand 'Williams Sonoma (WSI)'. The photo shows the exterior of West Elm Pangyo store. Photo by Hyundai Livart

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Hyundai Livart announced on the 2nd that it will apply changes to the store opening strategy of the exclusively sold American home furnishing brand ‘Williams-Sonoma (WSI).’

The new store opening strategy includes expanding department store and outlet stores beyond directly operated showrooms, compacting store sizes, and providing personalized services such as product curation. This is interpreted as a measure to increase customer accessibility and create new customers.

Hyundai Livart signed an exclusive sales contract with WSI in Korea in 2017 and operates offline stores and an online mall for four major brands: ‘Williams-Sonoma,’ ‘Pottery Barn,’ ‘Pottery Barn Kids,’ and ‘West Elm.’

Earlier, Hyundai Livart opened West Elm stores at Hyundai Department Store Pangyo, Starfield Anseong, and Starfield Hanam starting in September. It is also preparing to open Pottery Barn Kids at Starfield Goyang on the 27th. A new store opening strategy different from the past was applied to these four store openings.

Strategy Shift Pursued Through Expansion of Department Store and Outlet Stores, Store Compacting, and Personalized Service Provision

First, the store opening method was switched to a two-track approach. While continuously promoting large-scale directly operated WSI showrooms, new stores were expanded in distribution channels such as department stores and outlets. All four stores opened in the second half of this year were located in department store or outlet stores, not directly operated showrooms.

The store size was also compacted, reduced to about one-third of the previous size. Store locations were placed near escalators where customers gather. Hyundai Livart explained that this was to make it easier for customers visiting department stores or outlets to recognize and visit the brand.

Product composition and service differentiation were also implemented. While existing stores displayed a wide variety of products, newly opened stores mainly showcased popular products with good customer response or items recommended by professional curators. The store layout will be continuously changed on a monthly basis to respond to trends.

The home styling consultant service ‘Design Crew,’ previously operated only in directly operated showrooms, will now be applied to all WSI stores. Design Crew is a service that provides overall home styling by reflecting the customer’s budget and taste for the space they want to decorate, using furniture and accessory products. Hyundai Livart has doubled the number of Design Crew personnel this year. Design Crew introduces products not available in compact stores to customers through the official WSI online mall and assists with purchases.

A Hyundai Livart official said, “Previously, we focused on directly operated showrooms such as flagship stores, but as the home furnishing trend rapidly rises, we are changing our strategy to expand stores in distribution channels such as department stores and outlets,” adding, “We plan to continuously expand WSI stores and introduce new stores applying the changed concept by applying the new store opening strategy.”

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