SEOUL, Apr. 30 (Korea Bizwire) – Lotte Department Store is rolling out Pokémon Town pop-up shops across the country ahead of Family Month in May, capitalizing on the enduring craze for the iconic Japanese media franchise.
A Pokémon pop-up at the retailer’s Jamsil branch last April drew around 100,000 visitors over just 10 days. Including another Pokémon Village event staged late last year, more than 240,000 customers visited Lotte’s Pokémon exhibitions in 2022.
The Pokémon franchise, spanning anime, games, merchandise and more, has cultivated a fan base ranging from ardent enthusiasts to general consumers across generations. At last year’s Jamsil pop-up, hundreds lined up daily, from young children to millennials and older adults, with coveted items often selling out.
Riding that wave of popularity, this year’s Pokémon Town installations will run at three locations — Jamsil, Gwangbok and the newly renovated Suwon branch — offering location-exclusive original merchandise along with signature items and 25th-anniversary goods suited to diverse customer tastes.
At Lotte World Mall, modeled after the Pokémon Center concept stores, the pop-up will feature around 150 items through May 19, the most offered at any of this year’s three venues. The Jamsil selection will encompass games, cards, plush toys, accessories and limited-edition original products like an Eevee plush doll, Ichiban Kuji closet and Lotte Tower stickers.
The Suwon branch’s Pokémon Town, opening on May 9, will incorporate design elements paying tribute to the city’s historic Hwaseong Fortress, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. A replica fortress-wall photo zone will greet visitors, accompanied by limited stickers depicting the landmark and 46 newly launched items like the washable Wookiki towel and memo-clip Patrat.
Finally, the Gwangbok pop-up in Busan, running from May 1 to 15, will center its theme and decor on the iconic Yeongdo Bridge. A monumental 10-meter-tall Pikachu balloon installation is also planned for the underground Aqua Mall venue.
Image credit: Lotte Department Store / photonews@koreabizwire.com
