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| yna@yna.co.kr 2026-05-19 15:48:44
SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- CHICOR, the premium beauty select shop operated by Shinsegae Department Store, is emerging as a must-visit shopping destination for foreign tourists.
Sales at CHICOR’s Myeongdong and Hongdae branches, which opened in December last year, nearly doubled within four months as demand from foreign customers surged amid the ongoing popularity of K-beauty, according to the firm on Tuesday.
As of April this year, foreign customers accounted for 90.2 percent of sales at the Myeongdong store and 91 percent at the Hongdae store, driving rapid sales growth.
The company attributed the strong response from overseas customers to its differentiated brand strategy centered on K-beauty.
From the early stages of operation, the two stores significantly expanded offerings of K-beauty brands favored by foreign tourists. They also strategically strengthened their lineup of beauty devices, a category that has recently gained popularity among overseas visitors, to provide a differentiated shopping experience.
Beauty devices in particular have become so popular among foreign customers that some products have triggered “open-run” shopping, where customers line up before stores open.
The company said South Korea’s advanced skincare and home-care market allows consumers easy access to a wide range of beauty devices, while overseas markets still lack sufficient professional skincare infrastructure and often have higher prices, prompting tourists to purchase such products during visits to Korea.
CHICOR has actively expanded its beauty device offerings, which are difficult to find at other domestic beauty select shops. Sales in the skincare and beauty device categories at the Myeongdong and Hongdae stores more than doubled between January and April.
Its makeup experience services have also drawn strong interest from foreign customers.
Professional makeup artists with certified licenses are stationed at stores to provide color analysis, touch-up services and customized product recommendations. The company also operates a “Lip & Cheek Bar,” where customers can freely test products from popular makeup brands, catering to growing demand for experiential shopping.
Currently, an average of 20 to 30 customers use the makeup service each day at the Myeongdong and Hongdae stores, most of them foreign visitors interested in K-makeup. Multilingual staff capable of assisting customers in English, Chinese and Japanese are also available.
Based on the strong growth, Shinsegae Department Store said it is actively considering opening new stores in commercial districts popular among foreign tourists.
Following Myeongdong and Hongdae, the company is reviewing expansion opportunities in areas such as Seongsu and Anguk, which attract large numbers of global visitors, with plans to further strengthen its K-beauty content competitiveness.
The company said its strategy is to position CHICOR not simply as a retail shop but as a “K-beauty destination” where visitors can directly experience and enjoy K-beauty culture.
A Shinsegae Department Store official said customers at home and abroad increasingly seek to experience K-beauty trends, lifestyles and professional beauty services firsthand, rather than simply purchasing products.
“CHICOR will continue discovering differentiated brands and services to grow into the leading K-beauty destination sought out first by global customers,” the official said.
jwc@yna.co.kr
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