[Edaily Reporter KIM JUNG YOU ] With the recent boom in foreign tourism, the domestic offline retail industry is actively investing in new stores. Competition among offline retail channels is fierce as they vie to capture the demand from foreign customers flooding in amid high exchange rates.

LTD

HYUNDAIDEPARTMENTSTORECO.,LTD(069960)announced on the 2nd that its Hyundai Outlet Dongdaemun branch will undergo a complete renovation 10 years after its opening. The renovation will be carried out in phases across four floors by the end of the year, with the renovated area totaling approximately 14,800 square meters (about 4,500 pyeong)—twice the size of a soccer field.

The food court on the second basement level (4,595 square meters), set to open this September, will be redesigned with the concept of an alley market popular among foreign tourists. A total of about 30 well-known food and beverage (F&F) brands, including Korean restaurants favored by foreigners such as “Apgujeong Dosulbak” and “Gwanghwamun Mijin,” are scheduled to open there.

A company official explained, “We plan to reflect the latest travel trends among foreign tourists who want to directly experience the daily life and culture of Koreans, using traditional Korean markets as our inspiration.”

The basement level and the first and second floors will also feature K-content tailored for foreign visitors. The basement level will be filled with domestic fashion brands, accounting for more than half of all tenant brands. Starting next month, about 10 popular K-fashion brands, including Hago House and Rue de L’Eau, will open sequentially.

The second floor will house “Coasis,” HYUNDAI HOME SHOPPING NETWORK CORPORATION’s curated cosmetics (beauty) store, and a pharmacy-style health and beauty (H&B) store. The mall is also considering introducing late-night establishments, such as “Yongga Hot Pot,” a rotating hot pot specialty restaurant.

Furthermore, the “Global Service Lounge” on the first basement level—where customers can handle tax refunds and currency exchange all in one place—will be expanded and reopened within the year, and new kiosks exclusively for foreign visitors are scheduled to be introduced.

According to HYUNDAIDEPARTMENTSTORECO.,LTD, from January to May of this year, foreign sales at the Hyundai Outlet Dongdaemun branch increased by 122% compared to the same period last year. The share of foreign sales also rose to 23.7%. This figure is approximately three times higher than in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

HYUNDAIDEPARTMENTSTORECO.,LTD stated, “Dongdaemun is being repositioned from a simple shopping district to a destination-based tourist spot where visitors can experience everyday Korean life at locations such as the DDP and Gwangjang Market.” The official added, “As we are now attracting global tourists of diverse nationalities—moving beyond the demand that was previously centered on Chinese tourists and ‘daigou’—we will continue to develop the HYUNDAIDEPARTMENTSTORECO.,LTD branch into a premier shopping destination representing Seoul.”