Lotte Mart Warehouse Discount Store 'Max' Opens for the First Time in Gwangju and Jeonnam

Strengthening Specialty Stores like Total Living Shops, Bottle Bunker, and Bakeries

Convenient Payment Services and 100% Refund Policy... Enhanced Convenience

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shin Dong-ho] Lotte Mart's new warehouse-style discount store ‘Maxx (Maxx)’ has opened for the first time in Gwangju and Jeonnam.

According to Lotte Mart Maxx Sangmu Branch on the 21st, following the pre-opening on the 20th, the grand opening of Maxx Sangmu Branch was held on the same day. The store is a renovated Lotte Mart Sangmu Branch with a sales area of approximately 13,100㎡ (3,969 pyeong) across six floors above ground (including parking).

The first and second floors above ground are sales floors selling fresh foods, processed goods, and home fashion, while the third floor is a total living store combining Lotte Mart’s wine specialty store Bottle Bunker with home appliances and living brands.

The fourth to sixth floors above ground consist of other convenience facilities and parking lots. Lotte Mart Maxx Sangmu Branch has strengthened specialty stores within a typical warehouse-style discount store to realize a one-stop shopping warehouse-style discount store.

It offers overwhelming freshness and cost-effective products by implementing a warehouse-style discount store in the city center.

In line with recent consumer trends focusing on concentrated consumption of necessary products, the number of SKUs is operated at around 3,000. Compared to large marts with about 20,000 SKUs, the ‘small variety, large volume sales’ strategy is based on stocking only the top 1-2 products per category, focusing on overwhelming freshness and cost-effectiveness of products.

In the imported meat corner, which accounts for more than twice the sales ratio compared to general large marts, the main products are U.S. prime grade and Australian grain-fed chilled beef, selling steak-cut standard products such as tenderloin, sirloin, tomahawk, and T-bone.

In line with the increasingly popular ‘value consumption’ trend, domestically produced animal welfare-certified livestock products and eco-friendly certified traceable fruits and vegetables are operated as main products.

Additionally, representative daily necessities consumed at home such as bottled water and milk provide overwhelming cost-effectiveness through private brand (PB) products and exclusive products sourced overseas that can only be purchased at Maxx.

Turning the weaknesses of warehouse-style discount stores into strengths with specialty stores for home appliances, living, and wine.

Maxx operates various specialty stores such as home appliances, living, wine, and bakery to overcome the limitation of about 3,000 SKUs and create a one-stop shopping store.

Rather than a typical warehouse-style discount store that simply displays home appliances and competes only on cost-effectiveness, it has created the nation’s first total living store in collaboration with ‘Hi-Mart,’ the largest premium home appliance retailer in Korea, and Hanssem, the number one furniture interior brand.

Customers can pre-arrange and experience their own space by consulting with interior specialists stationed in the store, using built-in home appliances and furniture displayed in the store and various home appliance-furniture packages, creating a home appliance-living experiential showroom.

Also, the Lotte Mart wine specialty store Bottle Bunker, which first opened at Jamsil Zetaflex in Seoul last December and recorded 600 million KRW in sales within three days of opening, will open an additional branch in April.

Bottle Bunker offers a wide range of wines from daily wines priced around 10,000 KRW to ultra-high-end wines costing tens of millions of KRW.

It provides basic classifications by production area, country, grape variety, ros?-sparkling-natural wine styles, and themed spaces to experience wines that pair well with each theme. It is truly a paradise for wine enthusiasts and is expected to lead wine demand not only in Gwangju but also in Jeonnam, Jeonbuk, and Gyeongnam regions.

Additionally, the bakery ‘Pungmiso,’ where customers can purchase freshly baked bread to enhance the flavor of fresh foods bought in-store, and ‘Cheese & Dough,’ a 48-hour low-temperature matured fresh pizza specialty store where customers can enjoy large pizzas rich in cheese aroma and taste along with beverages, provide shopping enjoyment.

Lotte Mart Maxx, an open (non-membership) warehouse-style discount store accessible to everyone, offers open payment and smart payment services to enhance customer convenience.

It supports all domestic credit cards and cash payments, providing a wide range of payment options. Additionally, self-checkout counters and smart gates enable easy payment, reducing checkout time.

It also operates a ‘100% refund policy,’ fully refunding the purchase amount if customers are not satisfied with the purchased products.

Shin Hyun-jong, Head of Lotte Mart Honam Region, said, “Lotte Mart Maxx aims to be a warehouse-style discount store tailored to customer lifestyles, a shopping space that is never fixed and always changing. As the first warehouse-style discount store in the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions, we will strive to create a shopping space that adds value to cost-effectiveness and a store where customers can always find something new and enjoyable.”

Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shin Dong-ho sdhs6751@asiae.co.kr