Lotte Department Store completes 17-month renovation of Nowon branch

Lotte Department Store said its Nowon branch reopened Tuesday after about 17 months of renovation work that began in March last year. The store overhauled roughly 33,000 square meters — about 80 percent of its total retail floor space — and completely restructured its core merchandise lineup across food, fashion and beauty.

The store had already unveiled a K-fashion specialty zone in November last year and a sports megashop in December. On Tuesday it completed the renovation by opening a basement-level food hall and dessert piazza. The premium food hall, spanning 1,650 square meters, brings together 25 brands — 12 well-known restaurant names and 13 trendy bakery brands — with the goal of becoming a culinary landmark for northeastern Seoul. Notable new entrants include France Louvre Baguette, Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters and Milbit.

The Nowon branch sits at the heart of the largest commercial district in northeastern Seoul and draws from a wider catchment area extending into northern Gyeonggi Province. The full-store renovation was driven in part by a push to get ahead of major development projects taking shape in the area, including redevelopment around Changdong and Sanggye, new residential complexes and the Seoul Arena.

Early results have been strong. First-half sales at the Nowon branch rose 15 percent from the same period a year earlier, and the store added more than 50,000 new customers. Sales among customers in their 20s and 30s jumped more than 25 percent, while the K-fashion zone posted sales growth of more than 35 percent. Perfume sales in the beauty zone, which expanded its niche fragrance brand lineup, surged more than 90 percent.

To mark the grand opening, the store is running a month-long promotional campaign through Sept. 6, offering customers up to 7 percent in gift rewards along with a series of participation events.

"We will continue to introduce new content that delivers a differentiated shopping experience to our customers as a landmark representing this community," said Han Ji-yeon, branch manager of Lotte Department Store's Nowon location.