Opening on the 22nd, I'Park Mall Gocheok Branch "From Old Ferry Donut to Cali Club"

The Second Complex Shopping Mall in 16 Years Since Yongsan Branch
Targeting Western Seoul Metropolitan Area from Gwangmyeong to Yeouido and Mokdong
Featuring Restaurants, Cafes, Fashion, Education, Hospitals, and More
Promoting Itself as a 'Lifestyle Center Close to Daily Life'

I'Park Mall Gocheok Branch (Photo by HDC I'Park Mall).

Daesu Kim, CEO of HDC I'Park Mall.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] HDC I'Park Mall is unveiling its second complex shopping mall in Gocheok-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul, following Yongsan after 16 years. This is the first new complex shopping mall introduced since CEO Kim Dae-su, formerly of Lotte Department Store, took the helm of I'Park Mall in the second half of this year.

I'Park Mall announced on the 20th that it will open 'I'Park Mall Gocheok Branch' on the 22nd in Gocheok-dong, Guro-gu, spanning from the 3rd basement floor to the 2nd floor above ground, with a total floor area of 48,700㎡ and a sales area of 25,400㎡. The parking lot is designed to accommodate 1,589 vehicles from the 3rd basement floor to the 1st basement floor.

I'Park Mall emphasized that the Gocheok branch aims to be a 'lifestyle center closely connected to daily life.' It houses over 100 brands including food and beverage (F&B), fashion, lifestyle, and education. Unlike the conventional practice of filling stores as lease contracts are signed in mixed-use commercial facilities, I'Park Mall Gocheok focused from the internal design stage on finalizing the operational concept and sector-specific content placement, emphasizing a daily MD lineup tailored to enhance the convenience of customers in the surrounding area.

Particularly, great effort was put into strengthening 'rarely seen gourmet restaurants.' The F&B sector accounts for 38% of the total store composition, the largest share. The Yongsan branch also strategically placed popular eateries such as Super Matcha, Old Ferry Donut, Housum, and Hangang Local Noodles, resulting in a 20% increase in total sales from January to November this year compared to the same period last year. F&B sales surged by 45%. At I'Park Mall Gocheok, the first Seoul branch of Le D?tour, a bakery cafe in Suwon designed by architect Kwak Hee-soo, who won the World Architecture Award, will make its debut, and Old Ferry Donut, counted among Seoul’s top three donuts, will open a standalone store. Our Bakery, known as a 'bread pilgrimage' gourmet spot, has also joined. Starbucks, Outback Steakhouse, and others have opened, and Costco, a warehouse discount store, is operating on the 1st basement floor.

Besides F&B, fashion (30%) including domestic and international SPA brands, home living (27%), and service & education content are included. Facilities for children’s education and play such as art, ballet, and kids academies, as well as Korea’s first premium kids club, Cali Club, and a kids’ book cafe have been introduced. In particular, a clinic zone composed of six major medical departments?dermatology, dentistry, internal medicine, otolaryngology, pediatrics, and orthopedics?has been separately established to enhance daily convenience.

The target audience of I'Park Mall Gocheok includes the western metropolitan area population spanning Gaebong, Guro, Shingil, Mokdong, and Gwangmyeong. This area has many 'young families' with young children, characterized by being trend-conscious and highly interested in education. Within a 3 km radius, 680,000 people and 270,000 households reside, with the 30-40 age group accounting for 31%. Additional population influx is expected due to redevelopment and reconstruction projects in the area. Located at a transportation hub in southwest Seoul where the Gyeongin Line, Gyeongin-ro, Nambu Beltway, and Seobu Expressway pass through, access from Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo, and Bucheon is convenient. The daily floating population at Gaebong Station and nearby bus stops reaches about 40,000. Being a 15-minute walk from Gocheok Sky Dome, it is also expected to attract baseball fans during the professional baseball season. An I'Park Mall official said, "We set young customers and family units as the main customer base, focusing on strengthening F&B brand competitiveness and specializing in experiential and educational facilities."

CEO Kim expressed his ambition in June when he took over as head of I'Park Mall to lead the successful opening of the Gocheok branch through customer-centered marketing and diverse content implementation. He plans to realize the Gocheok branch as a regionally tailored complex shopping mall, making it a place where people can comfortably stay through shopping and cultural activities. I'Park Mall is also considering opening additional malls in the northern metropolitan area in the future.

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