To LA, New York and Paris ... Department stores help K-brands expand overseas

[Financial News] Department stores are taking the stage for showcasing promising Korean brands overseas. The strategy involves operating pop-up stores in the United States and Europe to connect Korean brands with local consumers, while also opening up the possibility of expanding the department stores’ global businesses. 
According to the department store industry on the 8th, Lotte Department Store will hold a “K-Culture Beauty & Fashion Pop-up,” where visitors can experience Korean beauty culture, from the 13th through the 17th at Raon (LA:ON), the Global K-Zone space at the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles, United States. Lotte Department Store will select participating brands and introduce them to local consumers.
Global K-Zone is a K-culture export platform led by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism through Korean cultural centers overseas. It showcases a range of Korean lifestyles, including beauty, fashion and food, through domestic brands. Lotte Department Store is the only retailer participating in the opening of the LA location. This is the first time Lotte Department Store has operated a pop-up in LA. It has selected a total of seven participants, including Aromatica, Centellian24 and its own K-beauty select shop, The Cast. Over the past three months, sales to foreign customers in Lotte Department Store’s K-beauty category rose 110% from the same period a year earlier, while sales to customers from North America increased 120%. Building on this interest, the department store plans to showcase each brand’s signature products and experiential content to expand its engagement with local consumers.
Shinsegae Department Store and Hyundai Department Store are using their own platforms to expand overseas sales channels for Korean brands. Their plan is to help promising domestic brands establish themselves in overseas markets by showcasing and selling products at local pop-up stores, while also exploring the potential to expand the department stores’ global businesses.
Shinsegae Department Store is operating Shinsegae Hyperground New York at Hudson Yards in New York, United States, through December 31. Hyperground is Shinsegae Department Store’s own platform for discovering promising Korean brands and supporting their expansion overseas. After Thailand and Japan, it has now expanded to the United States.
Around 30 brands across categories such as skincare, makeup, fragrance and body care are participating in the New York pop-up. Shinsegae Department Store plans to introduce New York customers to the diverse trends and content of the Korean beauty market. It also plans to gather consumer feedback and market data during the event to explore directions for future global business expansion.
In collaboration with the Korea Creative Content Agency, Hyundai Department Store is running a The Hyundai Global pop-up store through the 27th on the third floor of the main building at the Galeries Lafayette Haussmann department store in Paris, France. The Hyundai Global is Hyundai Department Store’s K-content export platform, and this is its first foray into Paris. The pop-up will showcase five K-fashion brands, including the designer brand KIMHEKIM.
“Overseas pop-ups give Korean brands a chance to meet local customers and develop sales channels, while giving department stores an opportunity to make their names known to overseas consumers,” an industry official said. “They are meaningful because they help partner companies expand overseas while also raising awareness of department store brands.” 
[email protected] Jang Yu-ha Reporter