Major department stores like Shinsegae are hosting well-known restaurant franchises at their outlets. (image: Shinsegae)
SEOUL, May 9 (Korea Bizwire) – Cooking is big in Korea. There are currently more than a dozen cooking shows on Korean television, featuring variety of cuisines, restaurants, and famous chefs, and department stores are benefitting from this food-frenzy phenomenon.
Major department stores like Shinsegae are hosting well-known restaurant franchises at their outlets, attracting consumers who seek ‘good food’ to their doorsteps.
Shinsegae’s Yeongdeungpo branch opened a vasriety of new restaurants from April 25 to May 5, and saw its number of customers increase by 20,000 compared to the same period last year. Samsong Bakery from Daegu, Hop Chou Cream from Osaka and Itaewon’s Bistecca were among the newly opened establishments.
Shinsegae saw a total increase in sales of food products of six percent, while the Yeongdeungpo branch showed an increase of 26 percent. With more customer visits, the department store’s total sales also increased by 12.1 percent, an impressive figure compared to Shinsegae’s total increase of seven percent.
Customers in their 20s and 30s made up the majority of visitors contributing to the store’s growth.
“The new restaurants helped attract more customers to our store. We’ll be hosting more restaurants and dessert cafés this coming June,” said Nak-hyeon Kim, chief manager of Shinsegae Yeongdeungpo.
By Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
