"Growing the Second Luxury Hall" Galleria Gwanggyo Branch Opening

Sales Target of 500 Billion KRW in the First Year of Opening

Focusing on Luxury Demand in Southern Gyeonggi Province

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Hanwha Galleria is opening its fifth department store. Among the stores operated by Galleria, this will be the largest in scale, boasting the 'best luxury lineup' and plans to focus on the luxury demand in southern Gyeonggi Province. Hanwha Galleria announced on the 27th that it will open 'Galleria Gwanggyo' on the 2nd of next month in the Suwon Gwanggyo Convention Complex. Galleria Gwanggyo is the first store Hanwha Galleria has opened in 10 years since the Cheonan Galleria Centercity in 2010. Following the Apgujeong-dong luxury hall, Galleria aims to develop Galleria Gwanggyo as the 'second luxury hall' with a first-year sales target of 500 billion KRW.

◆The Building Itself is a Luxury= With a total floor area of 150,000㎡ and a sales area of 73,000㎡ (22,000 pyeong), the building consists of basement floors up to 12 floors above ground (sales space from basement 1 to 12th floor). The building was designed and styled by the architectural firm of Rem Koolhaas, a Dutch architect and Pritzker Prize winner, known as the 'Nobel Prize of Architecture.' Breaking the conventional form of 'no windows in department stores,' natural light enters every floor through the glass corridor called the Galleria Roof. The 540m-long Galleria Roof features not only shopping but also artworks by famous artists. Especially, the stepped plaza roof squares on the 3rd and 10th floors host art exhibitions as well as events. The exterior is shaped like a rock cross-section using 14 types of granite and 125,000 stone panels.

Galleria Gwanggyo is equipped with the 'best luxury lineup in the Gyeonggi area' and plans to target luxury demand in the southern Gyeonggi region. There are a total of about 440 brands. Luxury brands such as Gucci, Fendi, and Balenciaga, as well as Bulgari, Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC, TAG Heuer, and Chaumet are present. The luxury stores on the 2nd floor will open sequentially within the first half of this year.

◆Specialized as a Future-Oriented Store= The floors are organized as follows: ▲ Basement 1 - Gourmet 494 food hall ▲ 1st floor - Cosmetics, High Jewelry & Watches ▲ 2nd floor - Luxury Boutiques ▲ 3rd floor - Luxury Women's & Contemporary ▲ 4th floor - Domestic Women's Casual & Shoes ▲ 5th floor - Men's & Outdoor ▲ 6th floor - Kids, Athleisure, Lingerie ▲ 7th floor - Sports, Golf, Jeans, Easy Casual ▲ 8th floor - Home Living ▲ 9th floor - Gourmet World food court ▲ 10th-11th floors - Cinema (CGV) ▲ 12th floor - VIP Lounge (Galleria Lounge), Cultural Center, YouTube Studio (Galleria Studio).

Each floor also features stores specialized for specific demands and tastes. Floors 6 to 8 showcase industry-first premium electronics specialty stores such as Samsung Electronics' 'Premium Store' and LG Electronics' 'Signature Kitchen Suite.' The Samsung Electronics 'Premium Store,' spanning three floors in a duplex layout on floors 6 to 8, is the largest future-oriented Samsung store in domestic department stores. It features the 'Infinity Tower,' a massive art structure combining media art and augmented reality (AR) selfie zones that span three floors, providing a complex cultural experience through interactive customer engagement beyond simple product sales. On the 8th floor, LG Electronics' 'Signature Kitchen Suite' exclusive hall opens for the first time in the department store industry. 'Signature Kitchen Suite' is an ultra-premium built-in appliance brand launched by LG Electronics in 2016, and although a showroom opened in Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul, this is the first time an exclusive hall is established in a department store. It includes built-in lineups such as refrigerators, wine cellars, dishwashers, and ovens. Additionally, there are a perfume specialty zone on the 1st floor, a domestic designer bag select shop on the 4th floor, a kids caf? on the 6th floor, a detox bar on the 7th floor, a book caf? on the 8th floor, and a YouTube studio on the 12th floor.

◆Large-Scale Complex Shopping Mall Linked with Convention Center, etc.= Galleria Gwanggyo is the first large-scale complex shopping mall introduced by Galleria, linked with various facilities including a large convention center, luxury officetels, a hotel, and an aquarium scheduled to open at the end of this year. CEO Kim Eun-soo said, "Galleria Gwanggyo will become a troika of growth drivers for the department store business along with the luxury hall and Daejeon Timeworld by continuously offering premium content as well as hosting luxury brands." He added, "This year will be a year of transformation marked by the opening of Galleria Gwanggyo, strengthening the department store business, revamping the online mall, launching platform-based new businesses, discovering new brands, and expanding business operations."

Meanwhile, Galleria Gwanggyo plans to thoroughly prepare in advance by focusing all efforts on disinfection and hygiene until the morning of the opening day to respond to the escalating seriousness of COVID-19. Furthermore, after opening, the store will prioritize customer safety by conducting disinfection and sterilization on an hourly and daily basis.