[Distribution Hot People] "Knocked on the door dozens of times"... Behind the 5-hour wait to attract London Bagel to World Mall

Yoon Ina, Chief Buyer of Lotte Department Store Bakery & Dessert Team

London Bagel Museum Opens at Lotte World Mall on the 5th
400 People Line Up at Opening, 5-Hour Wait... 1,500 Purchases
"Aiming to Attract Global No.1 and Become a Landmark of World Mall"

On the afternoon of the 7th at Lotte World Mall in Jamsil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, despite the scorching heat and the crowds flocking to the cool mall, there was one place that stood out with its brick-finished exterior and the long queue in front of it. It was the 'London Bagel Museum,' famous as a 'bagel spot where people line up.' On its opening day on the 5th, the waiting line circled around the mall endlessly, and a sign saying '5-hour wait from here' became a hot topic online.

Yoon Ina, Chief Buyer of the Bakery & Dessert Team at Lotte Department Store's Merchandise Headquarters, is posing at the London Bagel Museum photo zone in Lotte World Mall, Jamsil, Songpa-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Lotte Department Store].

Since opening its Anguk branch in 2021, this popular spot has had a basic waiting time of several hours. The person who led the effort to open it for the first time in a large retail facility rather than a road shop was Yoon Ina, the chief buyer of the Bakery & Dessert team in the Food Division at Lotte Department Store. She said, "When I arrived at 8 a.m. on the opening day, customers were already waiting in the blazing heat. Although the mall opens at 10:30 a.m., we opened the store early at 9 a.m. to let customers wait inside." Over 400 people lined up before the opening, and about 1,500 customers successfully made purchases after enduring the long wait on Saturday. On Sunday, about 1,700 customers succeeded in purchasing.

Thanks to the opening effect of the London Bagel Museum, weekend food and beverage (F&B) sales at Lotte World Mall grew by double digits compared to the same period last year. Currently, with an online waiting system in place, it is expected that customers visiting the London Bagel Museum will shop around the mall during their waiting time, leading to overall sales growth throughout the mall.

On the afternoon of the 7th, a waiting line for admission reservations stretched in front of the London Bagel Museum at Lotte World Mall, Jamsil, Songpa-gu, Seoul.
Photo by Yuri Kim.

Reflecting on the successful opening, Chief Buyer Yoon recalled a 'thirty-year-old's earnest effort.' She explained that they had been knocking on doors since 2018, starting with the London Bagel Museum operator's other brand, 'Layered.' Yoon said, "I thought the branding was perfect, from the products like desserts themselves to the way they were displayed and expressed, and even the staff's customer service. However, this very aspect became an obstacle to entering the mall."

The mall maintains uniformity in interior settings and generally has a sophisticated and clean concept, which was insufficient to blend the vintage sensibility, such as handwritten elements, that the London Bagel Museum pursues. The service methods and operating hours being standardized also posed challenges. Additionally, the higher rent for malls compared to regular road shops was another hurdle.

She said, "I repeatedly emphasized internally that changing the design would defeat the purpose of including this brand," adding, "Due to the nature of Lotte World Mall, approval was needed not only from Lotte Department Store but also from Lotte Property & Development. Fortunately, all parties understood the importance of this aspect." This allowed them to spend more than six months?over twice the usual 2-3 months needed for interior construction for new F&B stores?pouring their heart and soul into the project. The store's walls were actually built using old bricks, and the interior was decorated with premium teak wood.

Bacon potato sandwich, mushroom soup, and potato cheese bagel, the signature products of the London Bagel Museum.
[Photo by Lotte Department Store].

To encourage the mall to choose Lotte among others, Yoon also pursued 'buyer differentiation.' During a meeting, when a 'friend's pension' was briefly mentioned, she immediately booked that pension the same day and had her entire family, from grandmother to grandchildren, stay there to experience it firsthand and convey their perceived pros and cons, demonstrating high interest through action.

Before forming the Bakery & Dessert team last year, Yoon was a veteran buyer with 10 years of experience in content development, brand development, and attracting overseas brands. Her goal is to bring in bakeries and cafes that are hugely popular not only domestically but also overseas in the endemic era. Next month, right next to the London Bagel Museum, the specialty coffee chain 'Blue Bottle' from the United States will open.

Yoon said, "I want to attract the top brands from various countries that hesitated during the COVID-19 situation and make Lotte World Mall a unique sanctuary for desserts. I deliberately visited the place where London Bagel Museum, Blue Bottle, and other global brands are located, not just the World Mall in Jamsil Lotte Town, and I will make sure that place happens to be Jamsil."