Kang Seonghyun "Can't Just Sell Chicken Like Before... ZetaFlex Seoul Station Branch, The Ultimate Food Destination"

ZetaFlex Seoul Station Branch Officially Opening on the 14th
CEO Kang Seong-hyun: "Expanded to 69 Lunchbox Options"

Eunpyeong Branch to Become a Buffet-Style Food Specialty Store Within the Year
Mart Concept Segmented... "Sincerely Offering Diverse Food Choices"

"Because customers' eating habits are changing, we can no longer just sell chicken and similar items like we used to at the deli corner. Reflecting the unique location in front of Seoul Station, we have expanded the lunchbox selection to 69 varieties."

On the 13th, Kang Seong-hyun, CEO of Lotte Mart and Super, whom we met at Zeta Plex Seoul Station in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, cited food as the foremost strength of the renewed Seoul Station store. He emphasized, "We put a lot of effort into the deli corner called 'Yorihada Kitchen'" and "the bakery 'Pungmiso,' opening in October, was made with such sincerity that baguettes were rejected six times before approval."

Kang Seong-hyun, CEO of Lotte Mart and Super, visited Zeta Plex Seoul Station on the afternoon of the 13th to conduct a final inspection before the official renewal opening.
[Photo by Kim Yuri].

That afternoon, CEO Kang personally conducted a final inspection by carefully checking each corner, starting from 'LOHB's Plus' at the entrance, at Zeta Plex Seoul Station, which was set to officially reopen the next day. Zeta Plex Seoul Station is the second Zeta Plex store launched, building on the success of Zeta Plex Jamsil, which opened in December 2021. Zeta Plex Jamsil is an 'Upper Complex Lotte Mart' featuring over 30% more product varieties than regular stores, a spacious fresh food section, and various specialty stores by product category, including the mega wine shop 'Bottle Bunker,' under the concept 'If it's not here, it's nowhere.'

The deli corner 'Yorihada Kitchen,' highlighted by CEO Kang, is the largest among Lotte Mart stores, stretching 23 meters at the Seoul Station location. Reflecting the characteristics of Seoul Station, which attracts many foreign shoppers and nearby office workers, it offers over 150 varieties, including salads, sandwiches, Korean lunchboxes, and sushi. CEO Kang said, "The sushi quality has greatly improved thanks to the Lotte Mart Food Innovation Center (FIC) led by Center Director Kang Leo," adding, "Since it's a station, we also offer products like Japanese ekiben (train lunchboxes), allowing customers to choose according to their preferences and portion sizes."

He also expressed high expectations for Bottle Bunker at Seoul Station, anticipating it will attract demand from wine beginners to enthusiasts in the northern Seoul area. CEO Kang stated, "Although the wine trend has slowed, the wine consumer base has already expanded," and added, "Competitors have opened several mega wine shops like Bottle Bunker, but Bottle Bunker is well-branded and excels in business thanks to its content and curation capabilities."

Bottle Bunker Seoul Station offers a new experience by adding a theme called 'Wine Navigation,' which helps customers find products matching their tastes through Q&A using tablet PCs. It also includes a differentiated feature called 'Wine & Play,' recommending pairings of music and wine, allowing customers to listen to music on tablets and purchase recommended wines. CEO Kang said, "We will also introduce differentiated wine storage services," and explained, "We are developing customized services where customers can store wine and later have it sent at the right temperature to a restaurant."

They are also exploring ways to source affordable and quality wines from places like Carrefour and offer them at good prices. He said, "We are preparing to enable direct sourcing through collaboration with large distributors," adding, "By the end of the year, we expect to introduce new items such as exclusive brands and private brands (PB)." CEO Kang remarked, "It's obvious that a 1 million won wine tastes good," and said, "Bottle Bunker's mission is to recommend wines priced between 50,000 and 100,000 won that offer flavors and aromas comparable to wines costing 300,000 to 400,000 won, and we constantly emphasize this to our staff."

Lotte Mart unveils a large-scale deli corner 'Yorihada Kitchen' with a length of 23m at Zeta Flex Seoul Station branch.
Photo by Yuri Kim.

CEO Kang aims to sincerely implement Lotte Mart's food offerings through segmentation of the mart concept. To this end, within the year, Lotte Mart Eunpyeong will be introduced as a new concept food-specialized store applying a 'buffet-style deli service.' CEO Kang said, "We will completely transform Eunpyeong before the end of the year," explaining, "We will convert the 1,000-pyeong store into a compact food-centered store, presenting the deli bar with a buffet concept, serving in a style reminiscent of Panda Express." The barbecue corner will also be differentiated by developing its own marinades, and fish products will be offered with various sauces, so customers only need to put them in the oven. The new type of Lotte Mart is under consideration with various candidates such as Lotte Mart Food Flex, Grand Grocery, and Food Hall. He said, "Customers will be able to completely solve their dinner needs just by visiting here, and we will introduce a new mart with services that also cover single-person households."

CEO Kang stated, "With the integration of marts and supers, supers will be positioned under the name 'Super,' while marts will diversify into existing mart positions, upper positions (Zeta Plex), and new food-centered concept positions to broaden customer choices and attract foot traffic." The candidate locations for the third Zeta Plex store are being reviewed with possibilities open in major cities nationwide. He emphasized, "Not all can become Zeta Plex stores, but ultimately, Lotte Mart's goal is to renew all stores with a food focus."

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