Lotte Dongtan, located in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, represents a new generation of luxury department stores in South Korea. Opened at the end of 2021, the project introduces an experience-led retail format combining fashion, leisure, storytelling architecture and customer journey within a 246,000 sqm destination.
For Lotte’s first major project in seven years, the group appointed London-based retail design studio Shed, known for its international work in luxury retail and branded interior architecture.
A new format for luxury department stores
Lotte Dongtan integrates retail, lifestyle and leisure through a design approach based on differentiated experiences across each floor.
The department store hosts international luxury brands including Chanel and Dior, alongside specialist retailers such as The Conran Shop, within an environment designed to combine luxury retail and contemporary leisure.
Shed developed the interior design for three of the main levels, defining distinct environments connected by a unified vision focused on customer experience.
Floor 3: fashion retail and outdoor terrace
The third floor is dedicated to contemporary womenswear and a curated selection of premium local brands for the Lotte customer.
The retail space opens onto a large outdoor terrace, the first outdoor environment designed for Lotte, with ornamental planting, fluid paths and more intimate areas integrated into the landscape.
Natural materials and organic forms connect the retail interiors with the outdoor terrace, reinterpreting the relationship between luxury and nature through a contemporary design language.
Floor 4: menswear and childrenswear through storytelling
The fourth floor develops a double design identity dedicated to menswear and childrenswear. The two areas are separated and connected by a transition space called the “Gateway”.
The childrenswear department uses playful architecture, narrative elements and references to folklore to create an immersive environment for both children and adults.
The menswear area introduces a more tactile and sophisticated retail landscape, where past, present and future references are combined within an exploratory layout.
Floor 5: sport retail inspired by ancient amphitheatres
The fifth floor is dedicated to sport retail and develops a concept inspired by the amphitheatres of the ancient Olympics.
The layout uses large-scale graphics, scenographic architectural elements and a central amphitheatre that visually organizes the entire level. Brands are placed within a futuristic retail landscape reimagined as a lunar cityscape.
The project emphasizes the experiential dimension of sport shopping through a highly immersive and recognizable environment.
Retail storytelling and customer experience
The project uses storytelling, materials, retail landscapes and immersive scenography to build different experiences within the same department store.
Each floor introduces an autonomous identity while maintaining narrative coherence and continuity within the customer journey. The project interprets the contemporary luxury department store as an experiential platform combining shopping, entertainment and leisure.
Credits
- Project: Shed
- Location: Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, South Korea
by AN Shopfitting Magazine no.168 ©