Simmons Bed Ends Operation of 'Simmons Grocery Store Cheongdam'

From the top left clockwise: 'Simmons Grocery Store Cheongdam (2022-2023)', 'Haeundae Simmons Grocery Store (2021)', 'Busan Simmons Hardware Store (2020)', 'Seongsu-dong Simmons Hardware Store (2020)'.

Simmons Bed announced on the 18th that it has ended the operation of the pop-up store "Simmons Grocery Store Cheongdam," which gained popularity as a 'Cheongdam hot place,' as of the 17th.

Opened in February last year and running for 1 year and 7 months, Simmons Grocery Store Cheongdam left behind numerous accolades such as 'open run,' 'goods sold out,' and 'early sell-out of hamburgers,' becoming another successful case of the Simmons socializing project that connects regions and people.

Including the predecessor of the 'Simmons Grocery Store,' the 'Simmons Hardware Store,' Simmons has surpassed a total cumulative visitor count of 200,000. Sales recorded approximately 1.1 billion KRW. The offline popularity extended to online, with related Instagram hashtags (#) reaching 40,000 posts.

Simmons Bed showcased the charm of the local area with a bold concept of a 'pop-up store without beds,' serving as a bridge connecting the brand, consumers, and the local community.

The 'Simmons Hardware Store,' which became the foundation of the socializing project, was a pop-up store opened in April 2020 to commemorate the brand's 150th anniversary, linking Seongsu-dong, Icheon in Gyeonggi Province, and Jeonpo-dong in Busan. The following summer in 2021, the 'Simmons Grocery Store' was introduced in Busan's Haeridan-gil, and from February last year, it moved to Cheongdam-dong to continue its socializing journey.

Through the success of the bedless pop-up store, Simmons built a strong fandom centered on the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z). Simmons' communication style, which stimulates curiosity rather than one-sidedly imposing the brand story, led to voluntary participation from the MZ generation, securing future consumer groups such as newlyweds.

The Simmons Hardware Store and Simmons Grocery Store became frequent case study topics among marketers. They attracted high interest in the industry, being consistently mentioned in books covering marketing success cases.

Simmons Grocery Store Cheongdam filled its three-floor space with diverse content full of Simmons' unique surprises. The first floor, the main pop-up space reminiscent of a European charcuterie shop (meat product store), introduced goods with Simmons' wit such as 'basketball,' 'soju glass,' 'milk glass,' and 'roller skates.' The 'samgyeopsal scrubber' caused repeated shortages and was sold out. Next to the main pop-up space, the collaboration goods zone 'Pop-up in Pop-up' showcased collaborations with popular MZ generation brands like 'Hotel Cerritos,' 'Kez,' and 'Balansa.'

On the second floor, F&B discovered by Simmons Bed in the local community attracted visitors. At the opening, 'Burger Shop,' a local player representing Busan and a handmade burger brand, introduced Busan's subculture in the heart of Cheongdam-dong. This year, 'Public Market,' a representative grocery edit shop in the Daejeon area, took its place, continuing its reputation as a 'brunch hotspot.' Opposite the F&B area, the basketball court became the main stage for Simmons' new ESG channel 'Simmons Studio,' spreading Simmons' socializing activities across online and offline. Simmons Studio shares insights from opinion leaders in various fields such as humanities, social sciences, science and technology, and arts and culture under the motto 'Good stories are better when shared.' So far, over 40 opinion leaders have appeared on Simmons Studio, with more than 60 pieces of content uploaded. The cumulative views have exceeded 1.8 million and continue to rise steadily.

The third floor became a popular urban healing space by hosting the digital art exhibition of Simmons' 2022 brand campaign 'Oddly Satisfying Video,' which surpassed 20 million cumulative views within less than a month of its YouTube release last year. The exhibition, themed around 'spacing out,' offered comfort and stability through soothing, repetitive videos and white noise, attracting many visitors.

A Simmons representative explained, "Simmons Grocery Store Cheongdam attracted the MZ generation with diverse content that did not limit itself to goods, F&B, or exhibitions, revitalizing the Cheongdam alley commercial district, which had been declining as a past cultural hub. Simmons plans to continue its various socializing activities to breathe together with the local community."

Meanwhile, Simmons Grocery Store can still be experienced on the global metaverse platform 'ZEPETO.' On ZEPETO, visitors can enjoy the brand's charm and a higher level of socializing without spatial and temporal constraints through goods items as well as photo and video booths.

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