On the morning of the 27th, Seoul Nowon-gu's "Starfield Market Wolgye Store" saw long lines forming before the store opened at 10 a.m. The store, transformed from an existing E-Mart into Seoul's first Starfield Market, presented a scene vastly different from traditional large-format supermarkets. While maintaining its core shopping function, E-Mart has reimagined the space as a "staying destination" where customers can enjoy both relaxation and culture under one roof.
Upon entering the store's second floor—the heart of the facility—the central "staying area" immediately caught the eye. Accessible via escalators next to the first-floor rest area, "Sunlight Plaza," this space features high ceilings and soft lighting that create an open atmosphere. The second floor buzzed with activity as shopping carts, strollers, and pet-friendly carts moved about, evoking the feel of an indoor park.
Centered around Starbucks, the 157th-pyeong (approximately 520 square meters) "Book Ground" serves as the core of the staying area. Furnished with tables, chairs, and books, it offers a space for reading, dining, and resting. Families gathered in small groups to chat, and even on a weekday morning, every seat was occupied. This area best exemplifies Starfield Market's vision: transforming into a destination people visit specifically to spend time. The strategy combines the core business of price-competitive large-format supermarkets with shopping, relaxation, and cultural functions to extend family customers' dwell time. Cultural events such as children's performances are planned for the future.
The "Elephant Food Court" further down on the second floor also reflects thoughtful design for a staying experience. Its standout feature is the "Kids Ground," an indoor play area within the food court. Parents were seen dining while their children played in the designated zone. Exiting the food court leads directly to a hospital, pharmacy, and children's clothing store. Park Hyo-jin (35), a housewife who visited with her 3-year-old son from Nowon-gu, Seoul, said, "It's great that there's a play area for kids in the food court." She added, "After doing grocery shopping, I can handle everything from buying baby supplies and children's clothes to having a meal, so I plan to visit frequently."
The store has also strengthened its core grocery-shopping function. Notably, E-Mart's private label brand, No Brand, is now arranged as a shop-in-shop directly in front of the checkout counters. Careful attention was paid to customer flow to encourage natural visits after shopping.
Tenant restructuring was also prominent. While the total number of tenants decreased compared to before renovation, the focus shifted to attracting representative brands in each category. Olive Young expanded its footprint to three times its previous size. New specialty stores included Uniqlo, MUJI, Lego, and Off-Price Store Shinsegae Factory Store. On the right side of the first-floor entrance, various food and beverage brands were positioned so customers could easily grab a meal after shopping.
E-Mart Wolgye Store began renovation work earlier this year and opened as Starfield Market's fifth location starting today. Spanning 21,785 square meters (6,590 pyeong) of sales area, it is the first Starfield Market to integrate E-Mart, Trader's, and tenant spaces within a single facility.
Starfield Market represents the core of E-Mart's space innovation strategy aimed at strengthening its offline competitiveness. Starting with the Dukjeon store in 2024, E-Mart has expanded Starfield Markets to Ilsan, Dongtan, and Gyeongsan stores last year.
The essence of Starfield Market lies in shifting large-format supermarkets' competitive focus from "how much can we sell?" to "how long can we keep customers staying?" The strategy adds relaxation and cultural content to shopping spaces to extend dwell time and convert it into sales revenue. As a result, sales at the four Starfield Market locations increased by 28% year-on-year in the first half of this year—a figure significantly exceeding E-Mart's overall sales growth rate of 2.7% during the same period. Particularly, the Ilsan, Dongtan, and Gyeongsan stores saw average increases of 79.5% in sales and 42.4% in customer numbers compared to the previous year after renovation. Additionally, the proportion of customers staying for three hours or longer rose by an average of 90.8%.
Kim Young-il, manager of Starfield Market Wolgye Store, stated, "This store consolidates E-Mart and Trader's core growth drivers." He added, "Beyond grocery shopping, we aim to establish this location as a key landmark in Seoul's northeastern region where families can enjoy culture and relaxation in their daily lives."
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