[Edaily Reporter Han Jeon-jin] Long lines are forming outside smoothie shops where a single drink costs over 20,000 won. This is the exact opposite of the common belief that people are tightening their purse strings due to high prices. This trend has emerged as “wellness”—the pursuit of a healthy life through physical and mental balance—has risen as a new consumer trend. As demand grows for people to manage every aspect of their daily lives, including exercise, diet, and sleep, the retail industry is targeting the market with a focus on health functional foods, expanding dedicated spaces and platforms one after another.

According to industry sources on the 16th, "House of Shinsegae Cheongdam," a wellness-focused space opened by Shinsegae Department Store in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, last December, has now surpassed 600,000 cumulative visitors. In April, the space was further expanded with the addition of a pop-up store for the premium sports brand “Lululemon” and the brunch café “Twelve Café.” A Shinsegae Department Store official stated, “Demand for wellness is so high that customers in their 30s and 40s account for more than half of the visitors,” adding, “Interest in content that combines health and lifestyle continues to grow steadily.”

The centerpiece is its in-house smoothie bar, “Twelve Wonder Bar.” Although a single serving costs between 15,000 and 28,000 won—three to four times the price of a typical café—the bar sees a daily rush of customers lining up at opening. The process involves flash-freezing whole ingredients—such as ginseng, hemp seeds, and kale—without ice, then blending them fresh on the spot. Other popular items include “Twelve Simple Mushroom Chips” and “Twelve Wellness Pro-Pops,” snacks sold at Twelve Market that highlight the natural flavors of the ingredients.

CJ Olive Young has also identified wellness as a key growth driver. This is being achieved through “Olive Better,” a platform that expands the existing beauty category to encompass wellness as a whole. The company opened its first store in Gwanghwamun last January and its second store at Gangnam Station in April. According to Olive Young, within 100 days of its launch, the number of members who purchased new wellness products at Olive Better exceeded 1.8 million. This is the result of translating the previously abstract concept of wellness into intuitive categories such as “eating well” and “nourishing yourself,” thereby driving public demand. Bolstered by this demand, the company plans to open 10 stores in Seoul and the greater Seoul area by the end of the year.

Wellness is not limited to food. Musinsa opened “Musinsa Run,” a specialty running boutique, in Seoul Forest last April, targeting the growing demand for running. Beyond simply selling products, the store also offers a trial service where customers can experience the fit and performance of shoes in real running environments.

#Hyundai Department Store held the “Fine Sleeping Expo” in collaboration with sleep tech company A-Sleep at its Pangyo branch last March, showcasing sleep diagnostics and experiential content. This reflects the analysis that health is establishing itself as a consumption criterion across the entire lifestyle spectrum, rather than being confined to a specific area.

What is noteworthy is that this trend shows no signs of slowing down despite high inflation. According to the Korea Health Food Association, the domestic health food market reached 5.9626 trillion won last year, approaching the 6 trillion won mark. Although market growth has slowed somewhat as the pandemic-driven boom has ended, the purchase rate over the past year reached 83.6%, marking a five-year high. This means that more than eight out of ten households have purchased health functional foods. This suggests that even amid an economic slowdown and sluggish consumption, spending aimed at improving health and quality of life is not easily curtailed.

This is why retailers are staking their future on wellness. Unlike products purchased only once, these items have a high likelihood of repeat purchases and can integrate food, beauty, fashion, and home goods into a single category. The sector also has significant growth potential. This is because demand is expanding simultaneously among both the health-conscious MZ generation and the senior demographic. In fact, according to global management consulting firm McKinsey, the global wellness market is valued at approximately $2 trillion, having grown by over 30% in just four years from $1.5 trillion in 2021. The industry anticipates that the domestic market will also enter a phase of substantial growth.

Professor Lee Eun-hee of the Department of Consumer Studies at Inha University stated, “While in the past, consumption was limited to purchasing specific products like health supplements or exercise equipment, recently, lifestyle itself—encompassing diet, exercise, sleep, and mental health—has become the object of consumption.” She added, “Even if consumers cut back on other spending due to high inflation, expenditures on health and self-care tend to remain a high priority, so the growth trend in the wellness market is likely to continue for the time being.”