Shinsegae Department Store's main branch sees foreign payments double after renovation

Foreign card payments at Shinsegae Department Store's main branch doubled after a renovation, the retailer said Thursday.

Based on Hana Card payment data, foreign customer spending at the main branch jumped 98 percent in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year — far outpacing the 17 percent growth recorded across the broader Gwanghwamun and Myeong-dong commercial districts over the same period.

Shinsegae renovated the main branch's The Reserve section in the first quarter of this year, introducing global high-end brands including Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Cartier boutiques. Luxury goods sales at the main branch rose nearly 90 percent year-on-year in the first quarter.

The department store also expanded services for foreign customers, adding self-service kiosks at the tax-refund desk to cut waiting times and rolling out an AI-powered simultaneous multilingual interpretation service to make shopping more convenient.

"Shinsegae Department Store has served as the engine driving the recovery of the Gwanghwamun and Myeong-dong commercial districts," a company official said. "We will continue to offer differentiated shopping experiences to both domestic and international customers."