Shinsegae Group said on the 19th that Chair Chung Yong-jin visited Starfield Village Unjeong, which opened in Unjeong New Town in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on the 16th for on-site management. At the site, Chung emphasized, "We need a 'paradigm shift' that goes beyond waiting for customers to come to us and instead goes deep into customers' lives."
This visit was Chung's second on-site move this year, following his inspection of the Starfield Market Jukjeon branch on the 6th. At the Jukjeon branch, he said, "The fastest and most accurate answers are on the ground. To find new growth drivers, I will visit more sites throughout the year," and 10 days later he returned to the field, signaling his determination to act.
The Starfield Village Chung visited is a store that applies Starfield's new concept. Starfield Village was created as a local community at the heart of daily life. Going a step beyond the traditional model of driving to a large suburban shopping complex, it embodies a new value as a "doorstep shopping complex" that people can conveniently drop by whenever needed.
Starfield Village Unjeong is located in the middle of an apartment complex. The company said it blends naturally into the radius of customers' daily lives, adding new enjoyment and convenience. It opened on the 5th of last month, and in just over a month, 1 million people—more than three times the population of Unjeong New Town (about 290,000)—have visited.
Chung said, "It is a place where parents can come for their children, or where children can follow when parents want to go, and everyone can have fun," adding, "The spatial innovation our group has pursued has evolved one step further."
Starfield Village Unjeong filled more than 60% of its tenants with brands making their first entry in the region. It plans to continue expanding its content. Chung also met with officials of Crayola Experience on the fourth floor, which is preparing to open, to hear an explanation. Crayola Experience is a "creative art experience play space" created by the U.S. crayon brand "Crayola," and this is its first location outside the United States.
Shinsegae Property plans to expand the community-based retail platform, starting with Unjeong, to Gayang-dong in Seoul, Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province, Yuseong in Daejeon, and Jinju in South Gyeongsang Province.
Chung said, "If spaces where customers feel joy are closer to more people's homes, imagine how much better their daily lives would be," adding, "This is why Shinsegae Group and I cannot rest."