Lotte Department Store Gwangju Opens 'Premium Food Hall' with Food Section Renewal After 11 Years

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Shin Dong-ho] Lotte Department Store Gwangju Branch (Manager Na Yeon) is renewing its food section on a large scale for the first time in 11 years and will newly open it as a ‘Premium Food Hall’.

According to Lotte Department Store Gwangju Branch on the 19th, the food section on the basement level 1, which underwent construction for about four months, has completed its renewal and will newly open on the 22nd.

Despite the overall difficulties faced by the industry due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, Lotte Department Store Gwangju Branch decided to make bold investments in the food section for the first time in 11 years since 2009 to establish itself as a representative local food hall by introducing a premium food section reflecting customer needs.

Following the first phase opening last November of the industry’s first ‘Jeonnam Local Food Specialty Hall,’ the ‘Gwangju Kitchen,’ a ready-to-cook food store using fresh ingredients from the southern region, and a greatly expanded global grocery supermarket, the completion of the second phase renewal will finalize the ‘Food Avenue.’

Food Avenue is Lotte Department Store’s premium food hall, where the store interior and displays are upgraded, and differentiated services are provided.

The highlight of this second phase renewal is the expansion of the deli section and the introduction of famous restaurants.

The deli section’s area has been expanded by 50% compared to before, offering a variety of famous restaurants nationwide that can captivate customers’ tastes.

Representative examples include ‘Changhwadang’ in Ikseon-dong, Jongno, known for lines that circle the building just to taste their dumplings, and ‘88 Burger’ in Seogwipo, Jeju, famous nationwide for its Jeju black pork handmade burgers.

Additionally, as a representative local department store, many local famous restaurants have been introduced to promote coexistence with the region.

The lineup of local representative restaurants has been expanded sevenfold compared to before, including ‘Sangmu Patjuk,’ a Gwangju representative red bean porridge specialty store with 20 years of tradition; ‘Hankki,’ a Vietnamese restaurant in Dongmyeong-dong hot place; ‘Jejudang,’ a Jeju cuisine specialty store; and ‘Apilco,’ Gwangju’s first brunch cafe.

By attracting both local and nationwide famous restaurants, Lotte Department Store Gwangju Branch aims to be reborn as a representative local hot place.

Along with this, differentiated services unique to the premium food hall will also be introduced to customers.

First, the ‘Mobile Order Now System’ will be introduced. Customers can sit at a table, scan a QR code to place and pay for orders, and check the completion of their orders via their personal smartphones, making the process from ordering to pickup simple and convenient.

At the Dodam (single-serving shabu-shabu), Shimasushi (sushi), and Apilco (brunch cafe) stores, a ‘Waiting System’ is also operated, allowing customers to make waiting reservations via tablets to avoid standing in line.

Considering the importance of personal hygiene due to COVID-19, a ‘Sensor-Recognition Integrated Hand Wash Bar’ that enables touchless hand washing and drying through sensor recognition has been installed in the store, and the number of tasting table seats has been expanded by about 70 for customer convenience.

In addition, for fresh and processed foods and daily necessities, customers who purchase more than 30,000 KRW on the same day will be offered free same-day delivery within 3 km of the Gwangju branch.

Na Yeon, manager of Lotte Department Store Gwangju Branch, said, “We have fully renewed the food section for the first time in 11 years to provide various content to local residents,” and added, “Through ‘Food Avenue,’ Lotte Department Store’s premium food hall, we will continue to provide fresh local food and differentiated services.”

Meanwhile, to commemorate the opening of ‘Food Avenue,’ various opening discount events and a first-come, first-served promotional event giving away eco-friendly shopping bags to customers who make purchases will be held from the 22nd to the 24th.

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