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Project Brief:

Hyundai Department Store appointed JHP to design its largest ever department store, The Hyundai

It was the practice’s biggest commission to date and following an international design competition involving many of the world’s best Retail Designers and Architects.

The massive 1.2 million ft2 (12,000 M2) development is in Pangyo, a wealthy suburb of Seoul.

The brief was all encompassing. It included developing the commercial strategy, brand strategy, retail master-planning, architecture, the design of the total customer experience including digital way-finding.

The Response:

The shopping experience has been carefully crafted by JHP to deliver something for everyone. The customer journeys drift from everyday commodity to layers of luxury including brands such as Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Omega, Gucci, Prada and Dior.

With seven basement levels and 13 floors above ground it’s statistics ensure it ranks with the leading stores of the world. ‘The Hyundai’ features 19,850 foreign brands from 82 nations, a staggering 900 concessions, including 48 restaurants and the largest food court in Korea at 13,860 square meters.

The development is heaving with a huge number of firsts for Asia. It has everything from the first 'Eataly' in Asia, the first ‘Joe & the Juice’ in Asia, U.S. coffee brand ‘Intelligentsia’ and France’s ‘Palais de Thes’.

After opening, ‘Pierre Herme’, a French confectionary store that is famous for its specialty in macaroons; and Manhattan’s ‘Sarabeth’s’, restaurant both had to limit purchases per customer to deal with the lengthy queues and demand.

Future Development:

The highly innovative category and concession strategy employed by The Hyundai will ensure an exciting mix of brands will continue to take space and excite its customers.

The project also involved many innovative approaches adopted by Hyundai Department Store to ensure that the experience and design remains unequalled. These elements included:

- A totally different concession structure enabling brands to take space from as little as 6 months to 12 months, with full leases running to 5 years.

− Radically different mat sizes, ranging from a tiny 50 ft2 up to 2000 ft2 and bigger.

− None of the branded spaces have security shutters – all of the security is provided at the main stores entrances

− In addition to fixed display way-finding, the store offers digital way-finding through interaction with visitor’s phones.

Evidence of success:

With the launch of The Hyundai, the retail giant has effectively redefined the department store.

Its design, highly original brand mix, cultural and lifestyle activities, and very innovative approaches to concession structure and space have resulted in a shopping environment unlike any other.

Hyundai expects The Hyundai to generate annual sales of up to 800 billion won (US$ 698,000,000 in 2016, and 1 trillion won US$ 887,000,000) in 2020.

The store extends its influence away from just retail to feature a children’s museum and library and the complete Korean ‘Culture Centre’ with cooking, ballet and calligraphy classes all available alongside the theatre and concert venue.