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Shinsegae focuses on ultra-rich with biggest renewal in 12 years

Published: 13 Mar. 2025, 18:09 Updated: 13 Mar. 2025, 18:33

KIM JU-YEON
[email protected]

Shinsegae Department Store's main branch in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, has been revamped. The pictured New Building's second floor has been expanded to include more luxury jewelry and designer brands. [SHINSEGAE DEPARTMENT STORE]

Shinsegae Department Store has transformed its main branch in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, to accommodate more luxury brands and better cater to VIP guests with its biggest overhaul in 12 years.

The Myeong-dong branch comprises a smaller main building and a taller one called the New Building, which is set to show off its new look on Friday.

The space reserved for luxury jewelry and designer labels on the second floor has been expanded, Shinsegae Department Store said Thursday. The floor space for 10 existing brands like Saint Laurent and Burberry will increase by 20 percent, while the number of luxury jewelry brands will double to include labels like Messika and Pomellato.

Over 20 new fashion brands including Lemaire, Erdem and Jacquemus will open on the third floor.

A pattern inspired by French gardens now adorns the second floor’s walls, while the third floor has been designed to resemble a gallery. The corridors have been widened by 1 meter (3.3 feet), Shinsegae said.

Restaurants previously on the main building’s fifth floor will relocate to the New Building’s 13th and 14th floors. New restaurants including Gwanghwamun Gukbap, awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand, will move in.

A new VIP lounge for Black Diamond members and above has been created on the New Building’s seventh floor, while the previous lounge has been redesigned. A private dining room will be run separately from the lounge, which accepts reservations, both of which will be decorated with famous paintings.

The redesign comes as Shinsegae opts for an ultra-luxury strategy for its Myeong-dong shopping center. It will open “The Heritage,” a luxury brand-focused store with many exclusive spaces for VIP customers that is set to house Korea’s largest Chanel store, next to its main branch in April.

BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]