Shinsegae CHICOR Opens Back-to-Back Stores in Myeongdong and Hongdae: "Targeting K-Beauty Hotspots"

Myeongdong Store Opened on the 5th, Hongdae Store to Follow on the 11th
Entering Major K-Beauty Districts Popular with Foreign Tourists

Shinsegae Department Store announced on December 7 that its premium beauty select shop, CHICOR, will be opening new stores in Myeongdong and Hongdae this December. The company aims to accelerate its expansion in the beauty market by targeting key K-beauty commercial districts that attract large numbers of foreign tourists.

Exterior view of Sephora Myeongdong store. Photo by Shinsegae Department Store

CHICOR opened its Myeongdong store, spanning 330 square meters, on December 5, and will open its Hongdae store, covering 495 square meters, on December 11. Following the launch of its flagship store at Gangnam Station in July, the brand is expanding its presence into areas with high concentrations of foreign visitors.

CHICOR has seen robust growth in sales to foreign customers this year. At the AK Hongdae branch, sales to foreign customers grew by 77% year-on-year from January to October after its renewal. The Gangnam Station store, which opened in July, also saw sales to foreign customers increase by more than 20% through October.

CHICOR plans to leverage these two new stores to take the lead in the K-beauty wave. To this end, the Myeongdong and Hongdae locations feature the largest brand lineup among all CHICOR branches. A total of around 230 beauty brands will be showcased, including K-brands such as TirTir, Jung Saem Mool, and d'Alba, as well as a host of new brands like Dasique, Arencia, and Isoi. Unique indie brands such as Cherryyyxx, Haming, and Lasky Beauty will have their own dedicated indie zones.

The first floor of the Myeongdong store is designed as a "Lip & Cheek Bar," featuring over 20 popular lip and cheek brands. The second floor offers skincare, perfume, and hair & body zones, which are especially popular with foreign customers. The Hongdae store, located near Hongdae Station, is the brand's second location in the area and is designed to evoke the cozy and warm atmosphere of a dressing table, catering to Millennials & Gen Z foreign travelers who prefer independent travel.

Personalized "ultra-personalization services" are also available. At both the Myeongdong and Hongdae stores, makeup artists provide one-on-one K-makeup services tailored to each customer and recommend products suited to their skin tone. The "Beauty Lab" on the second floor of the Myeongdong store and the third floor of the Hongdae store offers an experience where customers can use AI devices to directly analyze their scalp condition.

A Shinsegae Department Store representative stated, "The simultaneous opening of the Myeongdong and Hongdae stores is part of our strategy to provide CHICOR's unique and differentiated experience in the most popular commercial districts for foreign customers," adding, "We will continue to ensure that foreign visitors to Korea enjoy the highest level of satisfaction through CHICOR's sophisticated curation and specialized services."