Shinsegae Department Store to Open Pop-Up on the 20th
Lotte Department Store Offers 10% Refund at K-Fashion Hall
Convenience Stores Near Gwanghwamun, Including GS25 and CU, Ramp Up Stock and Prepare for Foreign Customers
Duty-Free Shops Also Plan Goods and Marketing Events
Lotte Department Store Offers 10% Refund at K-Fashion Hall
Convenience Stores Near Gwanghwamun, Including GS25 and CU, Ramp Up Stock and Prepare for Foreign Customers
Duty-Free Shops Also Plan Goods and Marketing Events
On March 10, Shinsegae Department Store announced it will open a pop-up on March 20 to celebrate BTS’s comeback — the group’s first album release in roughly 3 years and 9 months. The pop-up will run through April 12 at the Heritage Museum on the fourth floor of Shinsegae’s flagship store. Using roughly 125 pyeong (about 4,448 sq. ft.) of exhibition space, the installation will showcase the new album alongside related merchandise. To manage expected demand, attendance will be by reservation.
The activation is timed to serve overseas fans traveling to Seoul ahead of BTS’s special performance at Gwanghwamun Square on the 21st, with Shinsegae hoping to drive foot traffic into the department store by staging exclusive BTS content before the show.
Lotte Department Store’s Myeongdong flagship, a short walk from Gwanghwamun, will run a promotion from March 19–29 in its K-fashion hall, “Kinetic Ground,” offering passport-bearing foreign shoppers refunds up to 10% on purchases. Lotte is also partnering with an online travel platform to distribute 5% hotel discount coupons to visitors who book hotels in the Myeongdong area. Hyundai Department Store plans a concert-period travel pass for foreign shoppers valid at The Hyundai Seoul, bundling additional discounts and experience coupons on fashion, beauty and food items that typically appeal to international customers.
Convenience stores, the retail channel most accessible to tourists, are preparing for a spike in demand. GS25 says it has stocked at least 10 times the usual inventory of expected hot-ticket items at roughly 60 stores near Gwanghwamun. The chain will prominently feature IGIN, the liquor brand for which BTS member Jin serves as global ambassador, with in-store and exterior placement. GS25 will also add IGIN keyrings (three designs) and a fragrance (one scent) to meet souvenir demand.
CU has boosted inventory of key products at stores near Gwanghwamun by more than 100-fold. In Myeongdong, Hongdae and other tourist-heavy neighborhoods, CU will set up dedicated displays focused on foreign favorites such as banana milk and spicy instant noodles (Buldak Bokkeum Myun). 7-Eleven and Emart24 are maximizing POS terminals at stores around Gwanghwamun and Jongno and will station staff who speak foreign languages at major locations. All chains said they are increasing orders for ready meals, beverages, alcohol and snacks, emphasizing items popular with international visitors.
Duty-free retailers are also sharpening their campaigns. Shinsegae Duty Free plans to debut new BTS merchandise in the K-Wave Zone at its Myeongdong branch, which opened in January, and to stage related events. The branch’s K-food curation space, “Taste of Shinsegae,” will sell an additional “Dongwon Super Tuna Edition” gift set co-branded with BTS member Jin. Lotte Duty Free is preparing integrated online-and-offline giveaway events. Cosmetics makers, too, are seizing the moment: AmorePacific has been running outdoor ads at KT Square near Gwanghwamun since early March to promote Laneige, for which Jin is an ambassador.
A retail industry official said, “The influx of foreign tourists for the BTS concerts should inject much-needed momentum into an otherwise sluggish domestic market. Retailers and food companies are positioning fandom-driven collaborations and targeted marketing to capitalize on concert demand.”
