'Top-tier · Premium' Rumors Catch the Eye of Gangnam Elites... 'Luxury Food Hall' Opens [Report]

Shinsegae Gangnam Branch Renovates Food Hall After 16 Years
Shinsegae Market Reopens with Luxury and Differentiation Strategy
Personalized Services Such as On-the-Spot Rice Milling and Custom Broth Packs
'3 Trillion Won in Sales' Gangnam Branch to Further Renovate F&B and Deli Sections
"We Will Achieve a Super-Gap with a Premium Strategy"

The chandeliers hanging throughout the ceiling were enough to catch the eye. The space, with ceiling murals hand-painted stitch by stitch from the entrance, evoked the image of historic European architecture.

Shinsegae Department Store's recently reopened Gangnam branch food hall, 'Shinsegae Market,' was the epitome of luxury. The food hall was designed in the Baroque style, known for its splendor and grandeur, and each display was filled with premium products. Ms. Jang (a woman in her 80s), who used to shop weekly at Shinsegae's food hall before the renovation, said, "Even just looking at the fruits, it's definitely more upscale than before," adding, "Looking around, there are many ready-to-eat foods, so I think young people will really like it."

Shinsegae Department Store began renovating the Gangnam branch food hall in May last year for the first time in 16 years, completing 10 months of construction and reopening it as Shinsegae Market. This is the first store introduced after Shinsegae Chairman Jung Yoo-kyung's promotion last year. It is the third renovation project at the Gangnam branch following the dessert specialty hall 'Sweet Park' and 'House of Shinsegae.' The total area is the largest among department stores in the Seoul area, reaching 600 pyeong (approximately 1980㎡). Considering that the core customer base is the affluent Seocho and Gangnam commercial districts, the store was stocked with premium products not previously seen in department stores.

In particular, for fresh foods, the selection was not simply based on high prices but on healthy products of the highest quality from designated production areas. Fruits directly contracted from designated farms (Select Farm) were brought in so consumers could purchase high-quality products with confidence. For livestock products, Shinsegae Department Store carefully selected quality meat from designated farms. The meat section features a transparent glass butcher room where consumers can see and purchase the desired amount of meat. It is said that this concept was inspired by the butcher room at Harrods Department Store in the UK.

View of the livestock section. You can vividly see the meat aging in the carcass room. Photo by Minji Lee.

High-end ingredients not previously seen in department store food halls also stood out. The Italian luxury truffle brand 'Tartuflanghe' and France's first caviar brand 'Prunier' opened their first offline stores side by side. Tartuflanghe sells fresh truffles that arrived from Italy the previous evening. It is known that this reflects the direct feedback of consumers seeking fresh and luxurious ingredients.

The side dish section expanded its area by about 70%, differentiating itself from existing department store food halls. Previously, side dishes in department stores were packed in plastic containers for customers to put in their carts, but Shinsegae Market allows customers to select and pack fresh side dishes stored in cases as much as they want. Additionally, brands launched by Chef Jo Seo-hyung (known as the 'Business Genius Boss Jo'), who appeared on 'Black and White Chef,' and Chef Woo Jung-wook, known as the 'Daechi-dong Cooking Teacher' (Saebyeokjong and Superpan Deli), were introduced. The section was divided into areas for jeon (Korean pancakes) and kimchi, general side dishes, and salads to reflect consumers' segmented demands.

Chef Jo Seohyeong is attending to customers at the side dish corner. Shinsegae Market introduces Chef Jo Seohyeong's Saebyeokdang side dish brand. Photo by Minji Lee.

The 'Rice Mill' operated at the grain corner. You can directly see the milling process and the making of rice cakes. Photo by Minji Lee.

Highly personalized services conveyed the premium Shinsegae Market aims for. The 'Rice Mill' operated in the grain section allows customers to choose the desired brown rice, which is then polished to 3, 5, 7, or 9 degrees right before their eyes and packaged. The process takes about 10 minutes. Since it is available in small quantities (4 kg), consumers can purchase fresh rice whenever they want. If desired, it can also be made into rice cakes on the spot.

The 'Fermentation Storage' created by the Shinsegae Korean Food Research Institute offers a custom broth pack manufacturing service. Customers can select from 21 types of dried seafood and vegetables as they wish, which are then ground on the spot and made into tea bag forms. There is also a 'Gift Concierge' service that allows customers to create gift sets as they like. For just 3,000 to 5,000 won, fruits or products purchased at the market can be packaged as gifts. Various sizes are available so consumers can customize gift sets as they want.

At 'Balhyo Gokgan', an individual broth pack manufacturing service is also offered. Photo by Minji Lee.

It is reported that Shinsegae Department Store invested hundreds of billions of won for this renovation. Not only the store but also the logistics and hygiene systems were strengthened. Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam branch recorded sales in the 3 trillion won range for two consecutive years last year, maintaining its title as the top department store in Korea.

Starting from the 28th, Shinsegae Department Store will begin construction for the fourth renovation project at the Gangnam branch, focusing on the F&B and deli sections. When the store reopens in the second half of the year, it is expected to become the largest food hall in Korea, covering about 6,000 pyeong (approximately 20,000㎡), equivalent to the size of three soccer fields. Kim Seon-jin, Vice President and Head of Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam branch, said, "We will firmly establish a super-gap competitiveness that meets premium demand and the status of a global department store."