Lotte to open Cheongnyangni mall, its first new Seoul store in 15 years
In short
Lotte Department Store said on 22 October that it will open Lotte Mall Velly Town Cheongnyangni in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, on 23 October. The mall has about 5,400 pyeong of operating space and around 50 brands. It is the company's first new store in Seoul since 2011.
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Lotte Department Store said on 22 October that it will open Lotte Mall Velly Town Cheongnyangni on 23 October in the Lotte Castle SKY-L65 Landmark Tower in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. It is the company's first new store in the Seoul area in 15 years, since its Gimpo Airport store opened in 2011. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The mall runs from the first basement floor to the fourth floor and has an operating area of about 5,400 pyeong. It is connected to the existing Lotte Department Store Cheongnyangni branch. The outlets describe it as compact: instead of a very large complex, it concentrates core brands and experiential content. About 50 brands will open there, and Lotte said about 80% of them are either a first for a retailer or the first or largest store in the northeast Seoul commercial area. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Lotte said it was drawn to the area by growing housing and transport. Nearby redevelopment districts are due to receive more than 30,000 households by 2030, according to Asia Economy and Yonhap; Newsis gives the figure as about 30,000. Lotte forecast that public transport users will rise to 300,000, about double the present level, as rail links such as the GTX expand. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
On the lower floors, the first basement floor, connected directly to Cheongnyangni Station, holds household-goods brands such as Miniso and Nitori. The first floor has a rest area with a hand-drip bar run by specialty coffee brand Terarosa (테라로사), and the first Seoul store of Busan bakery Genz Bakery (겐츠 베이커리). The second floor includes the Musinsa Bag & Cap Club, billed as a first for the retail industry, and a 150-pyeong Decathlon running store. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The third floor has the largest Daiso in Dongdaemun-gu, the family restaurant VIPS and the Spoki Kids Club. The fourth floor has Bandai Namco Korea's Fun Square and the first Korean store of figure retailer Best Hobby, plus the kids' theme park Bounce. Haidilao is to open in November, and a 600-pyeong Musinsa Standard store in December, according to Asia Economy and Newsis. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Lotte Group's character Bellygom is used in the mall's name and spatial design. A 5-metre-high Bellygom sculpture stands in the outdoor plaza, and a media cube is installed. Newsis added that the mall carries the slogan 'New Breeze' and that 90 Bose audio units play music matched to each floor's theme. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Lotte plans to link the new mall with the existing Cheongnyangni store to create its third 'Lotte Town' in Seoul after Myeongdong and Jamsil, and to renovate the department store in stages. Branch head Kim Si-hwan (김시환) said: 'Although it is compact in scale, we worked to complete a Lotte Town with competitiveness beyond a large mall through powerful content.' [ 1 , 3 ]
Why it matters
Lotte said it plans to turn Cheongnyangni into its third 'Lotte Town' in Seoul after Myeongdong and Jamsil. It also plans to renovate the existing department store in stages. The company cited housing and rail expansion around Cheongnyangni as its reason for the opening.
Key facts
- Lotte Department Store said on 22 October that Lotte Mall Velly Town Cheongnyangni will open on 23 October in the Lotte Castle SKY-L65 Landmark Tower in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- It is the company's first new store in the Seoul area since the Gimpo Airport store in 2011, 15 years ago. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The mall runs from the first basement floor to the fourth floor, has about 5,400 pyeong of operating space and is connected to the existing Lotte Department Store Cheongnyangni branch. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- About 50 brands will open there, and about 80% of them are either a first for a retailer or the first or largest store in the northeast Seoul commercial area, according to Lotte. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Lotte Group's character Bellygom is used in the mall's name and design, and a 5-metre-high Bellygom sculpture stands in the outdoor plaza. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Haidilao is to open in November, and a 600-pyeong Musinsa Standard store in December. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Lotte Department Store announced on 22 October that the mall will open on 23 October in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- It is the company's first new store in the Seoul area in 15 years, since the 2011 Gimpo Airport store. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The mall has about 50 brands, about 80% of them a first for a retailer or the first or largest store in the northeast Seoul commercial area. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Lotte plans to develop Cheongnyangni as Seoul's third 'Lotte Town' after Myeongdong and Jamsil, and to renovate the existing department store in stages. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Opening dates of Haidilao and some other tenants Two outlets say Haidilao opens in November; Yonhap says only that it and the kids' theme park Bounce will open in sequence.
- Forecast that public transport users will double to 300,000 Newsis and Asia Economy report this as Lotte's own projection; no independent estimate is given.
- Details of the sound and scent design, including 90 Bose audio units and a signature scent Only Newsis reports them.