Lotte Mall Suwon revamps leisure, kids stores

[Photo by Lotte Department Store]

Lotte Shopping Co., a retail unit of South Korea’s Lotte Group, reopened leisure and kids stores at its mall in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Thursday. The reopening – part of a comprehensive overhaul – comes in response to the aggressive expansion of Shinsegae’s Starfield Suwon, which opened in January this year.

The revamped stores are the result of five months of work since the mall’s restructuring in October last year, with a total of 58 newly designed tenant shops.

Notably, these new outlets are strategically targeting high-income consumers to differentiate themselves in the fiercely competitive Suwon retail landscape.

Starfield Suwon garnered immense attention, attracting 840,000 visitors within ten days of its opening.

AK Plaza, directly connected to Suwon Station, absorbs foot traffic due to its excellent accessibility, while Galleria Department Store Gwanggyo branch attracts high-income shoppers with a wide range of luxury brands.

Lotte Shopping said that the decision to undergo a full-scale renovation at Lotte Mall Suwon was driven by the need to stand out in the competitive market.

The focus is on expanding the high-income population enjoying various lifestyles in the Suwon area, emphasizing the introduction of convergence-type tenants that can simultaneously provide diverse content and premium customer experiences.

The leisure section at Lotte Mall Suwon introduces a total of 35 stores, with a primary focus on sports and golf.

Lotte Mall Suwon Nike Rise store. [Photo by Lotte Department Store]

In the sports sector, 17 stores include flagship shops of popular customer-preferred brands. Nike Rise, spanning 1,300 square meters, stands out as the largest sports store in the southern Gyeonggi region, offering various experiential elements for customers.

The New Balance concept store, half the size of Nike Rise, handles limited-edition items and is positioned as a top-grade store.

The emphasis on sports products is influenced by Suwon’s high percentage of the population interested in leisure activities.

According to Lotte Shopping’s research, Suwon’s participation rate in recreational sports is higher than the national average at over 50 percent.

In the golf category, 18 stores have been introduced, expanding premium golf brands such as PXG flagship store, AMAZINGCRE, and Malbon Golf.

Targeting young parents, Lotte Mall Suwon has added 10 stores dedicated to kids brands through the renovation.

The highlight is the launch of Lotte’s unique Kids complex store, Kinder Universe, where various experiential content necessary for child development is gathered, including Kinder Studio, an education-focused experience space, Kinder Atelier, a premium goods specialty store, and Kinder Lounge, a relaxation space.

The mall has also brought in a Lego Store officially certified by Lego Group, offering products identical to European stores and providing an opportunity for experiential play such as block building.