Luxury Outlets and Malls Also Take a 'Reverse Approach'... Children's and Pets' Playgrounds Now Over Half

Hyundai Premium Outlet Space One Targets Family Customers
Various Kids Experience Zones and Play Facilities Available
Largest Pet Park Opens on Rooftop Garden
Starfield Anseong Also Features Byeolmadang Kids and
Culturally Stimulating Content

On the 4th, 'Hyundai Premium Outlet Space One' opened in a pre-opening format in Dasin City, Namyangju. Space One is a gallery-style store combining culture and art, with a sales area of 62,393㎡ (approximately 18,874 pyeong).

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] To overcome the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) situation and the frozen domestic economy, the distribution industry has bet everything on 'cultural content' as a point of spatial differentiation. Unlike the past when merchandise planning (MD) was focused on 'brands' with sales as the top priority, it is now transforming into a premium lifestyle space that adds non-sales elements such as culture, art, and relaxation, allowing customers to see, enjoy, and shop all together.

Premium Outlets Enjoying Culture and Art

Customers are passing in front of the 'Bounce Trampoline Park' designed for children to run and play.

On the afternoon of the 4th, 'Hyundai Premium Outlet Space One,' which opened in a pre-open format (pre-grand opening) in Dasin City, Namyangju, attracted thousands of people even during weekday daytime hours. The parking lot, with a total capacity of 2,730 cars, was lined with vehicles. The cumulative number of visiting groups to the large sports store 'Nike Factory' surpassed 1,400 teams by 5 p.m. that day. Each group consisted of as few as one person and as many as five people entering simultaneously.

Space One is one of Hyundai Department Store's experimental projects that goes against the distribution channel characteristic of including the local area name in the store name. It pursues new values such as culture, art, and relaxation. The kids experience center, created as a sports, culture, and art space for children, covers a total of 4,958㎡, which is 1.5 times the area of 30 kids brand stores combined. At the 'Bounce Trampoline Park,' which has a capacity of 50 people at the same time, about 30 children were already playing in the afternoon. Yuminhyun (pseudonym), a man in his 30s accompanied by an 8-year-old boy, said, "There was nowhere nearby to take children, so it’s great that large kids’ play facilities have been introduced."

A view of the "Jaime Hayon Garden" exhibition featuring seven sculptures of imaginary animals designed by the world-renowned artist and designer Jaime Hayon.

The storytelling space 'Moca Garden,' created in collaboration with world-renowned artist and designer Jaime Hayon, was also established on a scale of 1,653㎡. It is prepared to welcome young customers with three facilities: 'Jaime Hayon Garden,' 'Moca Library,' and 'Moca Play.' A Hyundai Department Store official explained, "The population ratio of people in their 30s and 40s in the Namyangju and Guri areas is about 30%. We considered the fact that there are many family customers."

On the rooftop garden, a 1,322㎡ pet park called 'Heundi House' also opened. 'Heundi' is a playful dog character developed by Hyundai Department Store in March last year. The Heundi House area is the largest pet park operated by the domestic distribution industry. It also has tables where customers can enjoy meals with their pets. The premium total pet care shop 'Coco Square' dedicates more than 70% of its entire space to pet care facilities.

Shopping Malls Enjoyed with Children and Pets

Customers are passing in front of 'Byeolmadang Kids,' the children-only library at Starfield Anseong, which opened on the 9th of last month.

'Starfield Anseong' of the Shinsegae Group, which opened on the 7th of last month, also allocated more than half of its total floor area of 240,000㎡ to outdoor resting spaces for children and customers accompanied by pets. On the grand opening day, the child-sized shopping mall carts shaped like cars were so popular that customers had to wait two hours to get one. 'Byulmadang Kids,' the children's version of the 'Byulmadang' library at 'Starfield COEX,' also attracted many young customers.

In the past, the option to allow pets was frowned upon by some consumers, but as the number of pet-owning households increases, this trend is expanding. In the case of Starfield, it was designed as a pet-friendly space from the initial planning stage according to the wishes of Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin, who has a special affection for his dog 'Molly.' The pet specialty store 'Molly's Pet' is also continuously expanding.

A distribution industry official explained, "Just as department stores changed their strategy from densely packing MD compositions into spaces in the past, complex shopping malls and premium outlets are continuously considering not only attracting various brands but also presenting regionally tailored content. There seems to be a consensus that the ultimate winning strategy is to create spaces where customers can visit comfortably even if it does not directly induce sales."