Musinsa Beauty Seongsu to open next month on east side of Yeonmujang-gil

CJ Olive Young announces store just a minute's walk away

Domestic and global beauty brands already thriving in the area

A rendering of the exterior of Musinsa Beauty's Hongdae location. The building is finished in coral, the brand's signature color. [Musinsa]
A rendering of the exterior of Musinsa Beauty's Hongdae location. The building is finished in coral, the brand's signature color. [Musinsa]

A beauty battle is heating up on the east side of Yeonmujang-gil near Seongsu Station on Seoul Metro Line 2, as Musinsa Beauty and CJ Olive Young prepare to open stores just 90 meters apart.

According to industry sources Monday, Musinsa Beauty plans to open a store called Musinsa Beauty Seongsu in November in the building directly next to its Musinsa Standard Seongsu location. Construction is in its final stages, and the exterior — finished in the same coral color as the brand's first standalone store in Hongdae — is already complete. The new store is expected to be roughly 1,320 square meters, similar in size to the Hongdae location.

Several other Musinsa-affiliated stores are already nearby, including Musinsa Store and Musinsa Empty. The company plans to boost foot traffic at the beauty store by offering cross-shopping incentives. A Jeju location, Musinsa Beauty Jeju, is also set to open before year's end as part of a mixed-use complex linked to Musinsa Kicks and other brands.

CJ Olive Young is set to move into a corner space roughly 90 meters across from Musinsa Beauty Seongsu — less than a minute's walk away. The space, previously occupied by a cafe, was vacated and construction barriers went up last month. The two rivals are squaring off across a narrow alley in Seongsu-dong, mirroring a similar dynamic in Hongdae where a large CJ Olive Young building is under construction near Musinsa Beauty.

The new location would be CJ Olive Young's fifth store near Seongsu Station, joining CJ Olive Young Seongsu Station, CJ Olive Young N Seongsu, CJ Olive Young Beauty Mansion Seongsu and CJ Olive Young Seongsu Yeonbang. Positioned furthest east in the Seongsu commercial district, the key question is whether the new outlet will be a specialty concept store like Beauty Mansion Seongsu — which CJ Olive Young said at the time of its opening was intended to energize the commercial area north of Seongsu Station. "The opening schedule and main concept for the new store have not yet been decided," a CJ Olive Young spokesperson said.

Once both stores open, the east side of Yeonmujang-gil is expected to become a dedicated beauty strip. Flagship and standalone stores from domestic and international beauty brands are already doing brisk business there. Homegrown names include Rom&nd Pink Office and Jungsaemmool 101 Seongsu, while global luxury beauty lines — YSL Beauty and Prada Beauty — also operate their own stores in the area.

A key draw for brands choosing the east side of Yeonmujang-gil is its relatively low rents given the volume of foot traffic. Big data analysis from Sosanggongin365 shows average daily foot traffic on Yeonmujang-gil at around 66,000 people, while Yeonmujang 13-gil on the eastern side sees roughly 240,000. Despite that, rents there are tens of millions of won cheaper than in areas near Seoul Forest and in the central and western stretches of Yeonmujang-gil.

The site in Seongsu-dong, Seoul where CJ Olive Young is set to open a new store on the east side of Yeonmujang-gil. The Musinsa Beauty Seongsu store is located 90 meters directly across the street. [Kim Jin]
The site in Seongsu-dong, Seoul where CJ Olive Young is set to open a new store on the east side of Yeonmujang-gil. The Musinsa Beauty Seongsu store is located 90 meters directly across the street. [Kim Jin]

soho0902@heraldcorp.com