Renovated as 'Shinsegae Market' After 16 Years
Largest in Seoul Department Stores at 1,980㎡
Maximizing Grocery Shopping Appeal with Personalized Services
Exclusive VIP Services for Core Supermarket Customers
Shinsegae Department Store announced on the 27th that the supermarket within the Gangnam branch food hall will reopen as ‘Shinsegae Market’ on the 28th. This is the third phase of the Gangnam branch food hall project, following last year’s openings of the dessert specialty hall ‘Sweet Park’ and ‘House of Shinsegae.’ The supermarket renewal is the first in 16 years since 2009, reborn as the largest in the Seoul area with a size of 600 pyeong (approximately 1980㎡).
The supermarket is the area within the food hall most frequently used by nearby residents. Located in the high-income Seocho and Gangnam commercial districts, the Gangnam branch supermarket has a particularly high proportion of VIP (premium customers). According to pre-renewal statistics, VIP customers who spent over 10 million KRW annually accounted for 60% of sales, and their visit frequency was four times higher than that of regular customers. Shinsegae Market plans to meet the premium grocery shopping demand nearby by offering unparalleled food competitiveness and a differentiated shopping experience.
Located on the basement first floor of the Gangnam branch, Shinsegae Market is divided into three main zones: ▲fresh food section ▲premium home-cooked meal specialty hall ▲grocery (food products) section.
In the fresh food corner, planned products through contract farming or designated production areas (Select Farm) and private label (PL) products have been significantly strengthened. Instead of the usual similar products found everywhere, the market aims to increase products exclusive to Shinsegae for differentiation. Shinsegae Market has expanded designated production areas from 11 to 21 locations to offer premium seasonal fruits at more stable and reasonable prices. In the seafood corner, ‘Haenyeo’s Shinsegae,’ a newly branded line of Jeju haenyeo (female diver) seafood, is officially launched. To make unfamiliar haenyeo seafood like sea snails and seaweed more accessible, prepared dishes developed in collaboration with chef brands such as ‘Sihwadang’ (Korean cuisine) and ‘Sushidoku’ (Japanese cuisine) are also offered. In the meat section, the department store industry’s only private label butcher brand, ‘Shinsegae Amso Hanwoo’ and ‘Shinsegae Prime Pork,’ has been expanded.
The side dish corner has been expanded by 70% in area and newly introduced as a premium home-cooked meal specialty hall. Moving beyond basic side dishes, it now includes single dishes for guest entertaining, gift side dishes, and care diets such as meals for diabetic patients. This reflects diverse and segmented demands, aiming to solve concerns about home-cooked meals (jib-bap). The side dish brand ‘Saebyeokjong,’ launched by Chef Jo Seohyeong (CEO of Jangsachinjae), who appeared on Netflix’s ‘The Chef Show,’ is exclusively available here, and the new ready meal brand ‘Superpan Deli’ by Chef Woo Jeonguk, known as the ‘Daechi-dong cooking teacher,’ is also exclusively launched at Shinsegae Market. Focusing on Western dishes with Korean elements, it offers home-cooked meals suitable for special occasions. Additionally, ‘Haebangchon Dak,’ a famous electric-roasted chicken shop from Yongsan’s Sinheung Market in Seoul, has opened, allowing customers to enjoy rotisserie chicken freshly roasted on-site to take home.
The grocery section has doubled in size compared to before. It exclusively sells fresh truffles from the Italian luxury truffle brand ‘Tartuflanghe’ offline and features caviar from ‘Prunier,’ the first French caviar brand. The Australian specialty coffee roastery ‘Market Lane’ also officially sells its coffee beans for the first time in the distribution industry. Cheese, coffee beans, honey, and more are also sold in small portions. While it is common to sell coffee beans or block cheese in packaged products of 200g or more, Shinsegae Market has introduced the industry’s first small-portion sales method so customers can taste and find their preferences in smaller amounts. Among 270 types of cheese, including about 50 natural cheeses, customers can select their desired product, which experts will cut into preferred shapes and weights, and add toppings like olives or nuts to create gift sets or platters.
With this renewal, Shinsegae Market has also introduced services that cater to segmented tastes and dietary needs. These include ingredient washing and preparation services, on-the-spot rice milling to desired degrees, and the ability to create ‘my own broth packs.’ At the rice corner’s ‘Rice Mill,’ high-quality rice is ground into rice flour on-site for making rice cakes. Customers can select their preferred rice variety and order milling degrees from 1-minute brown rice to 12-minute white rice, with options of 3, 5, 7, or 9 minutes milling, then have it packaged to take home.
At the Shinsegae Korean Food Research Institute’s ‘Fermentation: Gotgan’ store, the first broth pack manufacturing service in Korea is offered. Customers can select dried seafood (anchovies, dried pollack, shrimp, etc.) and dried vegetables (green onions, mushrooms, etc.) sourced from across the country, which are then ground on the spot and made into tea bag forms. This allows customers to create healthy broth packs with natural ingredients they visually select themselves.
Additionally, VIP customers at the Black Diamond level or above will be offered conveniences such as refrigerated and frozen storage of their purchased shopping baskets until shopping is complete, porter services to carry luggage to the valet lounge, and exclusive checkout counters.
Along with the opening of Shinsegae Market, Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam branch will also open differentiated F&B stores. The first domestic store of the Parisian bakery ‘BO&MIE,’ which is extremely popular in Paris, France, will open, along with the American specialty coffee shop ‘Intelligentsia Coffee’ and ‘O’sulloc,’ which grinds fresh Jeju matcha daily to serve fresh tea. A ‘Wine House’ featuring over 150 types of sake, trendy highballs, and daily wines will also open, offering a wide range of alcoholic beverages suitable for casual everyday enjoyment.
In the second half of the year, the deli and health food sections will be newly renovated to complete the largest food hall in Korea, spanning about 6,000 pyeong (approximately 20,000㎡), equivalent to three soccer fields. Shinsegae Department Store has continued rapid growth, achieving an annual transaction volume of 3 trillion KRW more than a month ahead of schedule last year, thanks to the renewal effects of Sweet Park and House of Shinsegae.
Kim Seonjin, Vice President and Head of Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam branch, said, “Following ‘Sweet Park,’ which opened a new world of desserts, and ‘House of Shinsegae,’ a high-end space blending gourmet food, shopping, and art, we are opening Shinsegae Market, which will set a new standard for food halls. We will firmly establish a super-gap competitiveness that meets the premium demand of the commercial district and the status of a global department store in the food genre as well.”
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