Shinsegae Department Store's K-brand overseas expansion platform, 'Hyperground,' is broadening its reach in Tokyo's Shibuya district to include food and lifestyle categories.
From October 15 to November 3, Shinsegae will operate 'Hyperground: District Seoul-Shibuya Edition' at three locations: Shibuya Scramble Square, Shibuya Hikarie, and Shibuya 109. The pop-up will showcase Korean brands in a prime commercial area near the Shibuya Scramble Crossing.
A significant change for this pop-up is the expansion of product categories. From October 15 to 21, Shibuya Scramble Square will host its first pop-up in Japan featuring brands such as Bouchang Bakery, Doo and Doo, Fermentation: Storehouse, TWL, and Soil Baker. Food items like Spring Day's yakgwa and choco pond cream rice cakes, Shin Sung-ho 1957's seaweed chocolate, and Proje Sannae's oil will also be available.
Beauty and fashion will also be featured. At Scramble Square and Hikarie, K-beauty brands like Milk Touch, Ingredient Editor, Kiss, and Beriz will be introduced sequentially until October 28. The lifestyle brand Kitty Bunny Pony will be showcased at Hikarie, while Shibuya 109 will host the first pop-up in Japan for the fashion brand The Dirties until November 3.
Hyperground serves as Shinsegae's global expansion platform, aimed at discovering domestic brands and introducing them to major cities abroad. It was selected for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency's 'Support Project for Overseas Expansion of Retail Companies' in the first half of this year.
Earlier this month, Hyperground launched its first U.S. pop-up in New York's Hudson Yards, featuring over 30 K-beauty and lifestyle brands. This event will run until the end of the year, gathering local customer feedback and market data to assess future expansion possibilities.
In Japan, Shinsegae continues to collaborate with local distributors. After signing a business agreement with the Tokyu Group in September last year, it held a pop-up at Shibuya 109 in October and a K-Festa event in April this year. This time, the collaboration has expanded to include food and lifestyle categories.
Recently, Hyperground's focus has shifted from merely hosting pop-ups to verifying the overseas expansion potential of domestic small and emerging brands on-site. In New York, it is concentrating on beauty and lifestyle, while in Shibuya, it is adding food to gauge regional consumer responses.
A Shinsegae representative stated, “This event gathers popular dessert, food, and lifestyle craft brands from Seoul to introduce them to Japanese customers. We will continue to expand Hyperground's role to help competitive K-brands in fashion, beauty, food, and lifestyle enter the global market.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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