CJ Olive Young Opens Men's Specialty Store "Hongdae Playground"

A 330-Square-Meter Men's Specialty Zone Created

On June 10, CJ Olive Young announced that it will open a large-scale store, "Hongdae Playground," featuring a 330-square-meter (approximately 100-pyeong) space dedicated to men's products.

Set to open on June 11, the "Hongdae Playground" store spans three above-ground floors with a total sales area of 915 square meters (277 pyeong). It is located near "Hongik Culture Park," commonly known as Hongdae Playground, a landmark symbolizing the youthful energy of the Hongdae commercial district. Olive Young chose to open the store in the heart of Hongdae, considering that a diverse range of customers, regardless of gender or age, visit the area.

Exterior view of CJ Olive Young Hongdae Playground store located in the Hongdae commercial area, Mapo-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by CJ Olive Young]

The first floor of the "Hongdae Playground" store features a men's specialty zone called "Men's Edit," the largest of its kind among Olive Young stores at 330 square meters (100 pyeong). The Men's Edit zone is a curated space for male customers, offering a select shop experience where visitors can explore a wide range of beauty, health, fashion, and accessory products. In addition to men's grooming items such as shaving products, the zone also displays skincare brands popular among male customers, such as Aestura and Fation. Korean sports brand HDEX and premium stationery brand Point of View are also featured as shop-in-shop concepts.

The store has also enhanced its experiential beauty services. The "Men's Solution" area curates products and provides styling assistance tailored to customer preferences. Customers can try eyelash care products at the "Eyelash Bar" and receive skin analysis and consultations at the "Skin Scan" experience zone.

Global specialty features are incorporated throughout the store. The third floor is dedicated to products favored by international tourists, such as face masks and snacks. The "K-Beauty Now" and "Global Hot Issue" zones, spanning the second and third floors, showcase popular items that provide a comprehensive view of K-beauty trends. On the second floor, a "K-POP Album Zone" equipped with headsets allows customers to listen to music and purchase albums.

An Olive Young representative stated, "Hongdae Playground is a men's specialty store where customers can experience men's trends as well as a variety of K-beauty products, making it a new 'K-beauty playground' designed with global customers in mind." The representative added, "We will continue to drive retail innovation by introducing differentiated stores tailored to the characteristics of each commercial district and customer base."