South Korean retailers expand entertainment space on-site

A Lotte Mart outlet opened a futsal court, whilst a Homeplus store built a swimming pool.

South Korea’s major retailers are expanding rest and entertainment space as part of their survival strategy to entice more customers to visit brick-and-mortar stores, as more customers prefer to shop online, Korea Bizwire reported.

Lotte Mart has opened its fourth futsal court at its Jamsil outlet in Seoul, with a floor space of 1,300 sqm on the rooftop of the building. The facility can be rented by citizens and hosts soccer classes on a bi-weekly basis.

Discount store chain Homeplus also opened a 500-square-meter swimming pool for children at its Incheon Nonhyeon outlet in late 2021. It also runs futsal courts on the rooftops of 12 outlets.

When remodelling its Wolgye outlet in 2020, E-Mart greatly reduced the space of food and daily necessity shops that accounted for about 80% of the outlet’s total space, opting to expand various entertainment facilities, eating and drinking shops and cultural space.

Department stores are also joining. The Hyundai Seoul, a nature-friendly store built by Hyundai Department Store, decorated about half of its operational floor with indoor landscaping.

When the company remodelled its Mokdong outlet last year, it turned the entire seventh floor into an indoor garden. Lotte Department Store’s Dongtan outlet, which opened last year, also has about half of its floor dedicated to rest and experience-type space.