Opening Bottle Bunker Branch 4 Next Month... "Date Being Coordinated"
Hyundai Department Store Preparing Additional Wine List Outlet
Competition to Dominate Wine Market in Distribution Sector Expected to Intensify
Lotte Mart’s wine specialty store ‘Bottle Bunker’ will open its 4th branch next month at Seoul Station. Following the Jamsil branch, securing two large-scale wine stores in the metropolitan area is a strategic move to dominate the wine market.
According to the distribution industry on the 29th, Lotte Mart plans to launch the Bottle Bunker wine specialty store on the 3rd floor of Seoul Station, opposite Hi-Mart, covering approximately 990㎡ (about 300 pyeong). This will be the fourth nationwide store following Jamsil, Changwon Jungang, and Gwangju Sangmu branches, and the second in Seoul. The exact date is currently being coordinated.
Lotte Mart is currently working on converting Seoul Station into Zeta Plex. Zeta Plex is a specialty store that strengthens the offline store’s strengths in ‘wine,’ ‘living,’ ‘pet,’ and ‘groceries.’ Originally, the plan was to open Seoul Station as Zeta Plex and launch it simultaneously, but to attract new customers from northern Gyeonggi Province and western Seoul, the decision was made to open Bottle Bunker separately and earlier. Bottle Bunker is a brand combining ‘bottle’ and ‘bunker,’ meaning a warehouse-type space, and is currently Lotte Group’s wine specialty store.
The biggest feature that distinguishes the Seoul Station Bottle Bunker from existing stores is that even consumers unfamiliar with wine preferences can enjoy the store. A ‘Wine Preference Finder Zone’ has been created, where customers input their desired taste, alcohol content, acidity, and body, and the system recommends wines matching their criteria and guides them to the display location. Exclusive whiskey products are also prepared. Lotte Mart plans to sell items such as ‘Glendronach 50 Years’ and about 10 types of ‘Boutique Whiskey.’
Internally, expectations for the Bottle Bunker Seoul Station branch appear high. A Lotte Mart official explained, “While the Jamsil branch absorbed demand from eastern and southern Seoul and southern Gyeonggi, the Seoul Station branch is expected to capture the remaining metropolitan demand,” adding, “Wine and whiskey clubs also have high expectations for Bottle Bunker.” The Jamsil Bottle Bunker, launched as the first branch in 2021, saw its annual sales increase sixfold compared to the existing wine sales at Lotte Mart Jamsil.
With the establishment of the second Bottle Bunker in Seoul and the metropolitan area, the battle among major distribution companies over the wine market is expected to intensify. In May, Shinsegae Group opened a 500-pyeong comprehensive liquor store called ‘Wine Club’ on the basement first floor of Hanam Starfield, entering full competition with Bottle Bunker Jamsil. Hyundai Department Store Group launched a 330-pyeong wine store called ‘Wine List’ at Namyangju Hyundai Premium Outlet Space One last November and is reportedly considering introducing Wine List to metropolitan areas such as Gimpo and Songdo.
Market research firm Euromonitor estimates that the domestic home-use general wine market (excluding sparkling and champagne) will reach 2 trillion KRW by 2025, doubling compared to 2020.
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