A Future Market in Seoul

Tokyo and Seoul stand side by side perhaps as far as being the home of the avant garde in retail is concerned and in the South Korean capital department store operator Lotte stands out as being willing to try out something different on a regular basis.

The latest example of this can be found in Gyeongi-do, Seoul, where a futuristic looking deli-meets-supermarket spread across an astonishing 18,400 sq m on two floors of a Lotte store. There is much to look at, whether it’s the multiple eateries or the beautifully curated food and drink counter/islands that fill the space and which, in many cases, are brushed metal structures with warm, but pinpointed, light washing over them.

It would be perfectly feasible to spend a long time in this one, but what makes it particularly interesting is that London-based design consultancy gpstudio, which worked on creating this space, has somehow managed to make a very big area a unified whole.