Shinsegae's Hyperground opens first US pop-up in New York's Hudson Yards
In short
Shinsegae Department Store said its K-brand platform Shinsegae Hyperground will run a pop-up at Hudson Yards in New York through Dec. 31, its first in the United States after Thailand and Japan. About 30 brands are taking part, including skincare labels Sungboon Editor, Mixsoon and Ongredients and makeup brands Hince, Bbia and Milk Touch. The company said it will use the pop-up to collect US consumer response and market data and to test the potential for wider global expansion.
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Shinsegae Department Store said on Oct. 5 that its K-brand platform Shinsegae Hyperground will operate the “Shinsegae Hyperground New York” pop-up at Hudson Yards in New York through Dec. 31. The company said it is the platform's first US pop-up, after earlier events in Thailand and Japan. Shinsegae said the aim is to secure US customer response and market data and to test the potential for expanding its global business. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
About 30 brands are taking part, including the skincare labels Sungboon Editor, Mixsoon and Ongredients and the makeup brands Hince, Bbia and Milk Touch, along with fragrance and body care, beauty device, inner beauty and lifestyle brands, according to the company. The space is organised around a beauty routine following a day in Seoul, in four zones named “Seoul Morning & City Glow” for morning skincare, “Seoul Color” for makeup, “Seoul Scents” for fragrance and lifestyle, and “Night Reset” for wellness and rest. ZDNet Korea reported the theme is “Newtro Seoul – New York Edition” and that the site also offers brand experience zones, a photo wall, prize draws and a sticker workshop, with weekly promotions and events by brand. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The company said the pop-up was pursued after it was selected in the first half of this year for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) “distribution company overseas expansion support project.” Park Sang-eon, an executive director in charge of new retail at Shinsegae Department Store, said: “Shinsegae Hyperground is evolving beyond a platform connecting promising domestic brands with customers into a growth platform that supports overseas market entry,” adding that the New York pop-up will introduce competitive K-beauty brands to global customers and broaden the potential of Korean lifestyle content. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Hudson Yards, the pop-up site, is described by Yonhap and ZDNet Korea as a premium mixed-use development and core New York commercial district combining retail, cultural facilities, offices and housing, with more than 14 million visitors a year and a concentration of global corporate headquarters and high-income consumers. [ 1 , 2 ]
Shinsegae said it will collect US consumer responses and market data during the pop-up to review the possibility of expanding the business, and that the event will serve as a testbed for participating brands entering the US market. Maeil Business reported that industry watchers see the long-term pop-up as a way to diversify overseas sales channels and as a potential growth driver. Maeil Business's headline described Hyperground as a K-fashion platform, while its article text and the other outlets describe the pop-up as centred on K-beauty and lifestyle brands. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The pop-up is the first US outing for a platform Shinsegae has been using to take small Korean beauty and lifestyle brands abroad, so its results are framed as a test of whether that model travels to the US market. The company said it will use the market data collected to review wider expansion and to act as a testbed for the participating brands' US entry.
Key facts
- Shinsegae Department Store's K-brand platform Shinsegae Hyperground is running a pop-up at Hudson Yards in New York through Dec. 31. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- It is the platform's first US pop-up, following earlier ones in Thailand and Japan. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- About 30 brands are participating, including skincare brands Sungboon Editor, Mixsoon and Ongredients and makeup brands Hince, Bbia and Milk Touch, plus fragrance, body care, beauty device, inner beauty and lifestyle brands. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The company said the pop-up was pursued after it was selected in the first half of this year for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA's distribution company overseas expansion support project. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The space is organised around a beauty routine following a day in Seoul, in four zones named Seoul Morning & City Glow, Seoul Color, Seoul Scents and Night Reset. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Hudson Yards draws more than 14 million visitors a year, according to the outlets. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Park Sang-eon, executive director of new retail at Shinsegae Department Store, said the platform is evolving into a growth platform that supports overseas market entry. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Shinsegae Hyperground is operating a pop-up at Hudson Yards in New York through Dec. 31. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- It is the platform's first US pop-up, after Thailand and Japan. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- About 30 brands are taking part, including Sungboon Editor, Mixsoon, Ongredients, Hince, Bbia and Milk Touch. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The pop-up followed the company's selection in the first half of this year for a Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA support project for distribution companies' overseas expansion. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Hudson Yards receives about 14 million visitors a year and combines retail, cultural, office and residential space, according to the outlets. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Park Sang-eon of Shinsegae Department Store said the platform is evolving beyond linking domestic brands and customers into a growth platform supporting overseas market entry. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Maeil Business's headline described Hyperground as a K-fashion platform, while its article text and the other outlets describe the participating brands as K-beauty and lifestyle labels. The documents disagree on how to characterise the platform, and none explains the discrepancy.
- No document states sales targets, expected revenue or how many visitors the pop-up is expected to draw. Not addressed in any document, though the company said it will collect market data.
- The opening date of the pop-up is not given; the documents say only that it runs until Dec. 31. Only the end date appears in the documents.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yonhap publishes the Shinsegae Department Store announcement of the New York pop-up. [ 1 ]
- ZDNet Korea reports the pop-up, adding the “Newtro Seoul – New York Edition” theme and visitor programmes. [ 2 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily reports the pop-up and the support programme behind it. [ 3 ]
- Maeil Business reports the pop-up, citing industry expectations for overseas sales channels and Bbia's participation. [ 4 ]