[Itaewon Tragedy] Waves of Mourning in Retail... Department Stores, Hotels, and Food & Beverage Industry "Event Cancellations, Marketing Suspensions"

Distribution Industry Cancels Halloween Events One After Another
Marketing and Promotions Halted, Store Decorations Removed
'Kosepe' Opening Ceremony Canceled... Club Scene Also Suspends Operations

On the 31st, a citizen is paying tribute to the victims at the memorial space for the victims of the 'Halloween crowd' crush accident set up in front of Exit 1 of Itaewon Station on Seoul Subway Line 6 in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporters Song Seung-yoon and Jeon Jin-young] Ahead of Halloween Day, a wave of mourning is spreading throughout the distribution industry in connection with the crush disaster that occurred in Itaewon, Seoul. The atmosphere is continuing with the cancellation of scheduled events and activities, as well as a restraint on related marketing.

According to the industry on the 31st, events and activities related to Halloween Day are being consecutively canceled in the distribution sector, including food and beverage, department stores, marts, convenience stores, and hotels. Every year around this time, consumption is activated mainly by the MZ (Millennial + Generation Z) generation, and Halloween Day was regarded as a major season in the distribution industry comparable to Christmas.

First, Lotte Group decided to completely suspend Halloween events and activities prepared by its department stores, Lotte Mart, and affiliates. Lotte Department Store canceled all pop-up stores and parades scheduled to operate at Lotte World Mall in Jamsil until this day and is also considering whether to hold large-scale events planned for the year-end. Related posters and images were taken down, and individual events at each store were also stopped. Shinsegae also decided to cancel all affiliate events, including those at department stores, E-Mart, and Starbucks stores. Shinsegae Starfield removed all Halloween photo zones. Hyundai Department Store dismantled decorations inside stores and completely canceled individual Halloween events at each store. Homeplus also took down all related notices, posters, and images and stopped promotions.

GS25 participated as an official sponsor in the '2022 Strike Music Festival' held at the Olympic Main Stadium of Jamsil Sports Complex from the 28th to the 30th but withdrew the booth installed at the festival due to this disaster. CU also suspended the 'Home Delivery Special Exhibition,' which provided free delivery of costumes, party supplies, snacks, and other products through its application (app).

On the 31st, a citizen is paying tribute to the victims at the memorial space for the victims of the 'Halloween crowd' crush accident set up in front of Exit 1 of Itaewon Station on Seoul Subway Line 6 in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The food industry is in a similar situation. CJ Foodville notified Tous Les Jours stores to remove Halloween-related promotional materials, and Maeil Dairies’ Paul Bassett is considering suspending sales of three Halloween drinks, including the 'Pumpkin Chocolate Cookie Frappe,' which was scheduled to be sold until the end of this month. Domino’s Pizza stopped marketing the Halloween limited menu 'Pokemon Monster Ball Pizza.' Woongjin Foods canceled the Cocomon Halloween event for children scheduled to be held until this day, and Dongseo Foods also withdrew the Oreo pop-up store at Starfield Goyang, which was scheduled to operate until this day, early the day after the disaster. HiteJinro decided to stop the event of giving Halloween label stickers when purchasing products at pubs, restaurants, and large marts in major commercial districts and plans to collect all remaining labels.

The hotel industry also decided to completely suspend ongoing Halloween dessert and other promotions. Sofitel decided to cancel the Halloween party 'Plaisir 32' scheduled for this day, and Walkerhill also removed Halloween decorations inside the hotel. Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul canceled the Halloween cocktail promotion planned to be held until this day. InterContinental and Andaz also completely stopped selling Halloween desserts.

The Korea Sale Festa, a large-scale year-end event in the distribution industry, is also expected to proceed in line with the mourning atmosphere. The Korea Sale Festa Promotion Committee decided to cancel the opening ceremony of the '2022 Korea Sale Festa,' which was scheduled to be held at 11:30 a.m. in front of the Myeongdong Arts Theater stage in Jung-gu, Seoul. Gucci also decided not to hold the Gyeongbokgung fashion show event on the 1st of next month after discussions with the Cultural Heritage Administration. In addition, famous clubs in Itaewon, Hongdae, and Gangnam have consecutively announced that they will suspend operations until this day to prevent accidents and express condolences.

This crush disaster occurred on the 28th, ahead of Halloween Day, due to the crowd gathered in the alley next to the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon. As of 6 a.m. on that day, the casualties from the Itaewon crush accident were counted as a total of 303 people, including 154 deaths, 33 seriously injured, and 116 lightly injured.

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