Recently, retailers led by department stores have been pushing running as a core category. They are bringing in famous overseas brands and introducing experiential content to draw customers into stores.
According to the industry on the 26th, Swiss running brand On Running recently opened standalone stores at The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido and Lotte Mall Jamsil. On Running has a solid base of fans among runners, and this is its first official store in Korea. Before that, On Running opened a popup store (temporary store) in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong District, Seoul, in Nov. last year.
Hyundai Department Store is strengthening running-related content centered on The Hyundai Seoul. Hyundai Department Store is also operating Good Runner Company, a running select shop that sells Hoka and Salomon, at The Hyundai Seoul, Daegu and Pangyo branches.
It is strengthening competitiveness in running merchandise planning (MD) and expanding related events. On Aug. the B1 event hall at The Hyundai Seoul hosted The Hyundai Seoul Run, an indoor running competition. The Hyundai Seoul, citing strong customer response, is reviewing expanding it into a year-round event. A Hyundai Department Store official said, "Sales of running category products from January to September this year rose 35.8% from a year earlier."
Lotte Department Store renovated and opened the large running concept store Nike Rise at its Jamsil branch in May. Within a month of opening, it ranked No. 1 in running sales among Nike stores in the greater Seoul area. After the renovation, average monthly visitors to Nike Rise increased by more than 10% compared with the previous store, Lotte Department Store said.
Lotte plans to build a running community platform centered on Jamsil. The On Running store that opened at the Jamsil branch on the 14th features a full lineup that covers running, training and lifestyle. It was designed as a complex space where customers can freely experience and stay. In early next month, a Descente marathon concept popup will also be held at the atrium plaza on the first floor of Lotte World Mall.
Running category sales at the Jamsil branch, including Hoka, have posted double-digit growth every year for the past three years. Counting both running specialty and sports stores, the number of stores exceeds 20. In Sept., an insole brand, Dear Balance, which minimizes foot impact, also opened a store.
Shinsegae Department Store opened a specialty section for sports shoes on the first basement level of the Busan Centum City Mall in Dec. last year. New Balance and Puma built stores on par with flagship stores. Mizuno, Salomon and others also took space within the specialty section. Running products by brand were placed front and center.
ABC-MART is operating ABC-MART Sports, a running platform that brings together running brands from around the world in one place, at Grand Stage Myeong-dong in Myeong-dong, Jung District, Seoul. It plans to open 20 stores nationwide by next year.