Hyundai Department Store Launches TF to Proactively Address Climate Crisis with Fashion Partners

'Climate Crisis' Major Topic in Distribution and Fashion Industries
Seasonal Strategy Revised Reflecting Long Summer and Short Autumn

Hyundai Department Store announced on the 23rd that it will join forces with fashion partners and the Korea Fashion Industry Association to tackle the climate crisis. This strategy reflects the voices of fashion companies struggling to establish sales strategies due to unpredictable weather, and they plan to start joint responses from the first quarter of next year.

To this end, Hyundai Department Store has launched a 'Climate Change Task Force (TF)' consisting of about 20 members, including 15 major fashion partners, the Korea Fashion Industry Association, and Hyundai Department Store fashion buyers. It will be fully operational from next year. This is the first time Hyundai Department Store has established a three-party cooperative structure involving the department store, fashion brand operators, and an incorporated association. Companies of various sizes, including Kolon FnC, Highlight Brands, and Demu, are participating.

The TF plans to redefine seasonal operation policies to better suit climate change. As summers are getting longer and autumns relatively shorter each year, more flexible operations than the traditional four-season division are necessary. In fact, this year, the high-temperature phenomenon continued until mid-November, and after a short autumn, winter arrived immediately, widening the gap with the existing seasonal divisions. Typically, department stores stock items corresponding to each season starting in January for spring, March for summer, July for autumn, and September for winter. Seasonal sales to clear inventory have been fixed for decades: late March for spring, late June for summer, late September for autumn, and mid-November for winter.

Considering these circumstances, Hyundai Department Store plans to use the climate change TF to comprehensively review sales strategies, including ▲measures to respond to the extended summer ▲additional special sales for transitional season products ▲and possible changes to new product release dates according to the season.

Specifically, they are exploring ways to subdivide the prolonged summer season from early summer to midsummer and late summer, expanding production, distribution, and promotions of items suited to the weather at each period. Partners will increase the volume of key items for each detailed period, such as functional items using cooling materials and easy-to-layer transitional season items, while Hyundai Department Store will support promotions, special margin discounts, and large-scale events. They are also considering adding season-specific promotions like special sales for transitional seasons in August and September, in addition to the regular summer sales.

A Hyundai Department Store official said, “Going forward, leveraging the department store’s strengths, we will share useful data, including sales status according to weather changes, with our partners to create an environment where partners can respond flexibly to rapidly changing climate conditions.”

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