French confectionery brand La Cure Gourmande has chosen Korea for its Asian market debut.
The sweets specialist has opened its first outlet in the continent inside the Lotte Department Store Sogong-dong downtown Seoul.
The 36 sqm bright yellow coloured store offers more than 30 kinds of candies, cookies, caramels and chocolates, all imported from France. The Korea Herald reports that on its first day of trading, it grossed the highest sales in the department store’s food section.
Customers are encouraged to taste and inspect the candies, with store staff named “Sunshine” offering samples.
“We want people to feel nostalgic when they enter the store, bring back their memories of going to an old candy store and sticking their noses into the cookies and caramels,” said Edouard Hennebert, the company’s founder.
La Cure Gourmande plans two more stores-in-stores inside department stores in southern Seoul and Gyeonggi Province and says it will offer up to 150 kinds of product by the end of the year.
The French company’s debut in Korea is the result of Lotte staff seeking unique brands to create a point of difference from rival department stores Shinsegae and Hyundai.
“Lotte Department Store was searching for dessert brands that could cement their market status as a high-end and luxury retail channel, just like what Louis Vuitton and Chanel used to three decades ago,” said Stephane Lo, CEO of La Cure Gourmande Korea.