Lotte opens standalone Toys “R” Us store in Daegu

The Toys “R” Us store located on the third floor of Lotte Hi-Mart Jukjeon branch in Dalseo-gu, Daegu. (Lotte Hi-Mart)

Lotte Mart said on Thursday that it opened a standalone Toys “R” Us store in Daegu, the first time the toy retailer has partnered with Lotte Hi-Mart to launch a store outside a Lotte Mart location. The new store, located in the Hi-Mart Jukjeon branch in Daegu’s Dalseo, is designed to attract families by combining electronics and IT devices that are stereotypically popular with fathers and toys that children love.

The Toys “R” Us Daegu Jukjeon store is situated on the third floor of the Hi-Mart Jukjeon branch, just a one-minute walk from Jukjeon Station on Daegu Subway Line 2. Toys “R” Us operates over 1,300 stores in 31 countries worldwide. Lotte Mart has managed the brand in South Korea since 2007, with 41 Toys “R” Us outlets across the country.

Lotte Mart’s decision to collaborate with Hi-Mart is seen as a strategic move to create synergy between the two brands. Hi-Mart, with over 320 locations nationwide, or three times more than Lotte Mart, provides an opportunity to extend Toys “R” Us’s presence, especially in regions where Lotte Mart lacks a footprint. Lotte Mart currently has no stores in Daegu’s western area apart from its Yulha location in the eastern part of the city, and the partnership with Hi-Mart allows the brand to tap into the western Daegu market.

“Depending on customer reactions at the Daegu Jukjeon location, we may consider expanding Toys ‘R’ Us stores into more Hi-Mart branches moving forward,” a Lotte Mart spokesperson said.