Korean dept stores to lure foreigners with K-pop, festival

South Korean department stores are set to launch various programs such as a festival and sales of K-pop star merchandise to attract foreign tourists as the number of international visitors to Korea is increasing with most countries' COVID-19 restrictions lifted.

Those upscale shopping malls in the country have already taken measures to prepare for the return of foreign tourists since the pandemic dampened their visits, industry sources said.

“Most department stores refurbished their branches during the COVID-19 period to provide customers with experiential content as well as to enhance their food and beverage services,” said one of the sources.

“Such measures helped department stores secure strong competitiveness as tourist spots as they reorganized infrastructure and content that international visitors would like.”

COLLABORATION WITH GRAFFLEX

The country’s top Lotte Department Store said on Tuesday it is scheduled to hold a fest along with Seoul Metropolitan Government from April 28 to May 7 in Myeong-dong, the most famous spot for foreign tourists in South Korea’s capital. The department store operated by Lotte Shopping Co. has its flagship branch there.

Lotte plans to decorate a street in the shopping district with paintings in collaboration with artist Grafflex.

The department store is also poised to provide discount coupons that can be used at neighboring restaurants, cafes and other shops in Myeong-dong to customers who spend more than 50,000 won ($37.4) at the shopping mall.

Sales of Lotte’s flagship store surged by about nine times in the first quarter from a year earlier thanks to the growing number of foreign visitors. The branch was the top tourist spot around the area in January and February when the number of inbound travelers to the country soared to 913,677, more than five times the 181,850 in the same period of 2022, according to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).

K-POP ARTIST GOODS

Lotte’s smaller rival Hyundai Department Store Co. is expanding concierges for foreigners at its branches.

The Hyundai Seoul, a popular branch among millennials and Gen Zers in the capital’s major financial district Yeouido, plans to continue to operate pop-up stores that sell goods of K-pop stars. It opened such flash retail sites for merchandise of girl groups such as Blackpink and NewJeans last year.

Hyundai is set to join hands with the KTO to explore new overseas markets and develop key tourism businesses while expanding cooperation with countries in Southeast Asia, the nationals of which like to visit South Korea.

The department store will invite journalists, influencers and travel agency officials from those nations to show off its shopping malls.

Write to Mi-Kyoung Lee at capital@hankyung.com
 
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.