On Friday Hanwha Group inaugurated its Galleria Duty Free 63 store – which it partially opened in December – with an opening ceremony attended by Hanwha Group Chairman, Kim Seung-youn.

 

The new store’s ‘Golden Journey’ – named because of the building’s infamous golden exterior – first began with a partial opening at the end of last year and now the building is fully operational and boasts a total floor area of 10,072sq m across four floors.

 

“We believe that duty free can become our new strategic business to develop,” a Galleria Duty Free source told TRBusiness earlier this year.

 

“We will do our best to become the No 1 premium duty free store in South Korea, the same as we did with our Hanwha Galleria department store.”

 

CHINESE SPENDING HIGHER THAN OTHER FOREIGNERS…

“We are mainly targeting Chinese visitors as the number is increasing and spending is higher than other foreigners,” commented the Galleria Duty Free source. “We know this from our associate department store company, Hanwha Galleria, where sales to foreign customers have doubled since 2010. Over 90% of Hanwha Galleria department store foreign customers are Chinese.”

 

Popular actor and Director Song Seung-hun features heavily in the store’s advertising campaign.

 

Galleria Duty Free, the trading name for Hanwha Galleria Timeworld, is an associate of Hanwha Galleria under parent company, Hanwha Group.

 

Galleria Duty Free 63 is located in the 63 Building, which apparently offers an ‘expansive view of the Han River and city of Seoul’ and is already a noted cultural and tourist attraction with annual visitors of over 3.32m.

 

 

“Galleria Duty Free 63 provides visitors to Korea with an unmatched experience as a shopping Mecca that also serves as a gateway to the wide range of charming tourist sites across Yeouido, a large island in the Han River and Seoul’s main business and investment banking district, and the best that Korea’s Hallyu culture can offer,” states Hanwha Group of its new store.

 

WATCHES & JEWELLERY

Luxury watches and jewellery can be found on the first floor; fashion, tobacco, alcohol, Korean cosmetics and general merchandise on the second and third floors.

 

A multi-brand fashion store featuring rising Korean designers, G. Street 101, can also be found on the second floor.

 

Galleria Duty Free 63 also has a ‘K-Special Hall’ located on the third floor, where visitors can experience a wide variety of products from 141 brands by Korea’s leading SMEs and high-potential enterprises.

The third floor also includes a ‘character store’ for children and a hands-on IT product zone for ‘kidults’.

 

AQUARIUM, ART GALLERY AND TOURIST SPOTS

Other than shopping customers can enjoy underwater performances and view aquatic wildlife at aquarium, Aqua Planet 63. There is an Art gallery and numerous restaurants too.

 

 

Galleria Duty Free 63 offers One Stop Tours that group together Yeouido’s tourist products by theme, including shopping, tourist sites, Hallyu content, and more.

 

Hanwha has cleverly linked Galleria Duty Free 63 to its Galleria Department Store with its One Card Service that delivers a variety of benefits and membership discounts at the duty free store, department store and shopping mall with a single card.

 

“Customers who already hold a department store membership card need only to register their passport numbers to receive additional benefits,” says Hanwha Group.

 

Galleria Duty Free 63 also operates the Diamond Lounge on the third floor for VIP guests.

 

A one-on-one concierge service provides a shopping advisor, with other premium benefits available including reservations for tourist spots in Yeouido, delivery service to airport pickup zones, and complimentary snacks and beverages.