Shinsegae premium outlet aims to become tourism hub

Shinsegae Simon, a premium outlet operator under South Korean retail giant Shinsegae Group, said Thursday it will ramp up its reach to tourists by turning its outlets into a local tourist destination.

Starting Saturday, an exclusive express bus route will take patrons from Seoul Express Bus Terminal located in southern Seoul, to Shinsegae Simon Yeoju Premium Outlets in Gyeonggi Province, according to Shinsegae Simon, a 50:50 joint venture between Shinsegae and US-based real estate developer Simon Property Group.

"We opened this new route to preemptively respond to the increase in demand for foreign tourists to shop at premium outlets. We also aimed to further cooperate with the city of Yeoju to actively revitalize the local economy," said an official from Dongbu Buslines, the operator of Shinsegae Simon's express bus route.

In a bid to provide an optimal shopping experience for tourists, Shinsegae Simon said it will aim to add stops at Yeoju's major attractions to the bus route, and offer free trips throughout July, accepting customers on first-come, first-served basis.

Additional discounts for foreigners and language services ranging from Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese are planned to be offered at the shopping mall.

With the recent move, the outlet operator added it aims to revitalize Yeoju's local economy by preparing a space in the outlet designated for selling agricultural products from Yeoju.

"Shinsegae Simon Yeoju Premium Outlets have long been actively developing customized projects to achieve co-prosperity with the city of Yeoju, such as hiring Yeoju residents to make up for more than 80 percent of its staff and supporting local festivals," said a Shinsegae Simon official.

Tourists can purchase high-quality brand products at a reasonable price, the official said, adding that the shopping taxes can also be refunded at the airport.

The premium outlet, spanning across 453,100 square feet, retails 270 brands, 30 of which are exclusively available at the outlet operator's Yeoju branch.