Savills World Research Korea Spotlight Seoul Retail 2H 2018 savills.co.kr/research Spotlight | Seoul Retail 2H 2018 Spotlight Seoul Retail "Amidst the rise of online commerce and the shrinking share of offline retail sales, changes in the retail real estate environment are highly visible. Owner/operators continue to liquidate hypermarkets and department stores as the market for these assets remains stable. Investment targets are becoming more varied, such as buying small- and medium-sized buildings, partaking in shopping mall development projects, and converting office floors to retail floors." Sales of major retailers delivery solutions. As the number GRAPH 1 While traditional retailers are of tech-savvy consumers grows, Offline and online retail sales growth, experiencing stagnant offline sales, the online share of the retail market 2014 – 1H/2018 online sales have grown by double is expanding faster than 10% per annum. Recently, retailers in the digits annually over the past three Offline Online furniture, electronic goods and food 20% years, and grew 16.3% YoY in the first 17.7% 18.1% half of 2018. Online sales accounted categories have experienced strong 16.0% 16.3% sales growth. As of year-end 2017, for 19% of the total retail sector as of 15% 13.2% Q1/2018, and the sector’s growth can online sales of furniture and electronic be attributed to several factors: the goods were valued at KRW11.2 10% rise of single-person households and trillion, and the online food sector was valued at KRW11.9 trillion, growing working couples; the country’s high 4.5% 85% and 150% respectively in only 5% 3.5% penetration of smartphones; and the 3.0% 2.7% three years' time. convenience of the online shopping -0.4% environment, which retailers have 0% Improvements in convenient created to spur consumers to shop payment solutions and early morning online more. delivery services have contributed -5% to the growing demand for online 2014 2015 2016 2017 1H/2018 South Korean President Moon Jae-in's shopping of fresh food and Home Source: Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Major retail companies` statistics recent pursuit of income-led growth Meal Replacement(HMR) products. policies delivered several minimum- GRAPH 2 Because food products and brands wage hikes and shorter working Retail sales share by channel, Q1/2018 tend to have relatively high customer hours. The minimum wage has risen loyalty and retention rates, retailers Department stores 29% over the past two years, and 8% the workweek has been shortened are focusing their efforts on acquiring to 52 hours per week for companies and retaining customers. To gain competitive advantages in delivering Non-store Hyper with more than 300 employees. Sole retails market fresh food products in a timely proprietors and SMEs, especially 19% 10% Duty-free those who operate convenience stores fashion, retailers are working hard at shops 5% and hypermarkets that incur relatively improving their logistics systems and delivery services. higher payrolls as a percentage of Supermarkets operating expenses, have alleviated 13% As large retailers chase ever- wage pressures and improved Specialized faster delivery times, they are profitability by reducing their hours of stores locating fulfillment centers closer 39% operation and expanding the number Convenience to consumers in order to achieve of cashier-less stores by installing self- stores accurate deliveries. Homeplus and checkout machines. 6% Lottemart are utilizing their carparks * Non-store retails including home shopping, online shopping, door to door sale and storage areas as send-off Source: Statistics Korea Expansion of online shop- points, and repurposing existing ping facilities for receiving and processing online retailers. They can utilize To provide consumers with the merchandise to enable more efficient their own brick and mortar stores best shopping experiences, online processing of online orders. and distribution centers to facilitate retailers are building seamless delivery services quicker and easier. shopping experiences by meticulously Because of this, offline retailers As such, Coupang, Wemakeprice focusing on ordering, payment and have an advantage over pure-play and other online retailers as well as savills.co.kr/research 02 Spotlight | Seoul Retail 2H 2018 Lotte, Shinsegae, SK and other retail retailers expanding their micro-stores GRAPH 3 conglomerates are all planning to at inner-city locations as well as stores Online food category sales, 2010 - 2017 invest significantly in merging their within shopping complexes located on online and offline businesses by the city outskirts. Starfield is expected Unit : KRW (Trillion) 14 strengthening online platforms and to open its first 'Starfield City' micro- 11.9 constructing fulfillment centers for store at Wirye New Town in December 12 handling online sales. 2018. In August, AK Plaza opened a neighborhood shopping center, 'AK& 10 8.8 Changes to offline stores Hongdae', near Hongik University 8 As offline department stores and station. By expanding their customer 6.7 hypermarkets experience stagnating bases and connection points, these 6 4.4 4.8 and even declining growth, retailers neighborhood segment stores are 3.8 are searching for ways to differentiate likely to continue to rise in popularity. 4 3.0 2.3 themselves, other than by price, and are executing strategies to improve Investment market 2 their stores' competitiveness. Stores Even though the domestic retail 0 are tapping into the 'experience market revolves largely around retail 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 economy' by offering consumers conglomerates, institutional investors Source: Statistics Korea unique retail offerings, a sense of are varying their investment targets TABLE 1 community, and more opportunities by buying small- and medium-sized to relax and socialize on site. Besides buildings, partaking in shopping Category Killers increasing footfall traffic and time spent mall development projects, and in-store, retailers are aiming to improve repurposing office facilities, in addition Type Brand average basket and transaction sizes. to participating in hypermarket asset Large Pierrot Shopping, JAJU, Olive As such, store formats are becoming liquidation. conglomerate Young, LOHB’s, Chicor more flexible and varied. Medium-sized Domestic Daiso, ABC Mart For the past two to three years, company 'Category killers' focusing on a institutional investors, in particular Online company Musinsa, Moongori.com specific segment or product is a new pension funds, have been managing MUJI, Flying Tiger Copenhagen, and emerging trend. Emart opened retail funds that buy small- to medium- Foreign its Pierrot Shopping store at Starfield sized assets. This has led to increased Sephora, Boots Coex this June to cater to 20-to- retail investment in small- to medium- Source: Savills Korea 30-year-olds. This store, offering sized assets in key retail districts 'fun' products at affordable prices, such as Myeong-dong, Hongdae and The Hongdae area is connected to all attracts consumers who are seeking Garosugil. To improve retail asset corners of Seoul, thanks to subway an entertaining shopping experience. values, the institutional investors are lines number 2, 6 and Gyeongui as well Shinsegae Department Store entered attracting influential brands as tenants as airport express trains that link to the health and beauty market by and strategically partnering with the Hongdae commercial district. This launching a multi-shop, Chicor, with retailers, who are able to sign master district is changing rapidly, mostly due curated cosmetic products. In addition leases. to the development of new hotels, retail to locations within shopping malls, stores and the Gyeongui Line Forest Chicor is expanding its presence in Recent investment transactions in Park. Rents are also rapidly rising, major retail districts with standalone Myeong-dong demonstrate this trend. prompting institutional investors to stores, such as its newly-opened Angelo Gordon bought KB Bank reposition office buildings surrounding premises located on Gangnamdae- Myeong-dong HQ (completed in Hongik University station by converting ro high street. Sephora, the world's 1972) for KRW241.2 billion (KRW307 the lower floors into retail space. largest cosmetics multi-shop, is million/3.3m2) in Q1/2018 and plans expected to enter the Korean market to develop the building into a 17-floor DaeA Building, located near Hongik in Q3/2019. complex comprised of commercial University station, was purchased as space (lower floors) and a hotel (upper an office building by Invesco in 2016 Meanwhile, major retailers continue floors). Angelo Gordon also bought for KRW59.2 billion. By converting seeking improved operational a small-sized Sungshin building in the lower floors into retail space, efficiencies. New hybrid format stores Q2/2016, located near Euljiro 1-ga this building attracted the Kakao are being established by razing existing station, and re-developed it into a Friends flagship store and concept offline channels and leveraging the retail facility, which is currently being museum (B2-3rd floor). The high-profile advantages of alternative channels. marketed for lease. The Myeong- tenant led to increased rents as well Lotte supermarkets has partnered dong's Chunghwui Building, which as a high return on investment for with the health and beauty chain Morgan Stanley bought in Q2/2018, is Invesco when they sold the building LOHBs to create 'Lotte Super with currently under renovation in a project