"Attracting Customers from Daejeon and Sejong" Department Stores' Offsite Fall Semester Culture Center Events

Daejeon Shinsegae Art & Science.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yuri] The 'off-site battle' among regional department stores aiming to attract consumers from the central region, including Daejeon, Sejong, and Chungcheong, has begun alongside the recruitment for the fall semester cultural centers. Daejeon Shinsegae, the largest distribution facility in the central region and the first to enter this area, has launched about 900 courses focused on children's education and leisure, challenging Galleria, the current market leader in Daejeon.

◆This Fall's Cultural Centers Focus on Children's Education, Leisure, and Investment

Art & Science at Daejeon Shinsegae, scheduled to open on the 27th, announced on the 5th that it is recruiting new members for the fall semester academy courses starting with the store opening. Reflecting the characteristics of the Daejeon area, it offers a variety of science content along with courses on Korean history education, poetry and essay writing, sport stacking (cup stacking), pottery, and more, totaling about 900 classes. A special lecture featuring KAIST professors discusses 'The Power of Science That Changes Everyday Life.'

Daejeon Shinsegae plans to include various facilities such as a hotel, science museum, observatory, and aquarium alongside the department store. It will be a landmark in the Chungcheong region where visitors can experience scientific content, cultural life, and leisure activities, with a scale of 5 basement floors and 43 above-ground floors (total floor area approximately 284,000㎡). A Shinsegae Department Store official emphasized, "We have prepared various facilities centered on a department store filled with Shinsegae's unique differentiated content such as fashion accessories, food and beverage, food halls, academies, and galleries optimized for the local commercial district."

Galleria Department Store Timeworld.

◆Purchasing Power Rises in Daejeon and Sejong... Competition Intensifies

Existing stores are also making thorough preparations for the increasingly fierce competition. Galleria Department Store Timeworld, the current market leader in the region, has introduced art-related courses at its cultural center, responding to the recent surge in customer interest. As artworks have become a content category in department stores, the cultural center plans to strengthen programs dealing with art collecting culture and auctions.

The distribution industry expects that with the new opening of Daejeon Shinsegae, competition among department stores targeting major cities with strong purchasing power such as Daejeon and Sejong will become even more intense. Just as the luxury market expanded in Daegu due to competition between Hyundai Department Store and Shinsegae Department Store, there is high anticipation that the market size in Daejeon will also grow. An industry insider said, "Recently, the distribution industry has been rapidly moving to target the central region beyond the metropolitan area," adding, "The real competition among department stores will begin more fiercely after Shinsegae's new entry."