# Shinsegae says Sweet Park dessert hall sales rose more than 23% year on year

- Published: 2026-11-13 17:07 UTC
- Section: Industry & People › Companies & markets
- Tags: Shinsegae Sweet Park, K-dessert growth, department store desserts, dessert sales growth, foreign customer sales, Consumer Forum 2027, K-Sweet Festa, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Lee Han-ju
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-829337e00b0857c4989d34f3_shinsegae_says_sweet/

**A Shinsegae buyer told a Seoul forum that dessert and cafe sales at the chain's department stores rose 16% this year, with sales to foreign customers up 64%.**

![Shinsegae says Sweet Park dessert hall sales rose more than 23% year on year](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/dc71ab628920e793.jpg)
*biz.heraldcorp.com*

On November 12, Lee Han-ju, manager of the F&B team in Shinsegae's food and lifestyle division, spoke at the Consumer Forum 2027: K-Sweet Festa at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Jung District, Seoul, according to biz.heraldcorp.com. [1] His talk covered the growth strategy of Korean desserts from a buyer's perspective. He said desserts have become a place people travel to for the experience rather than something eaten after a meal. [1]

According to Lee, desserts used to be one product group within a department-store food hall. As consumer tastes became more varied and experience-oriented spending spread, shoppers began visiting stores for particular desserts and sharing the experience with others. [1]

## Sweet Park results

Lee planned Shinsegae Department Store's dessert hall Sweet Park. He said three staff members, himself included, reviewed and scouted more than 300 brands over three years, building the hall differently from earlier dessert halls. [1]

A new store's buzz usually lasts about three months, but Sweet Park keeps growing, he said. After strong growth in 2025, sales this year rose more than 23% from the previous year. [1] New brands such as Chipotle and I'm Donut have been added, and they are bringing in customers. Lee said the work does not end once the space is finished: it requires watching customers continuously and building new experiences. [1]

## Foreign visitors and sales

Shinsegae Department Store's dessert and cafe sales in the F&B segment rose 16% this year from the previous year. Eight of its 13 stores posted double-digit sales growth. Sales to foreign customers rose 64% from the year before. [1]

Per Lee, the average spend per foreign customer in the dessert category was about the same in both years. With spend per customer flat, higher sales mean more customers and more purchases. [1]

Lee also said that following fast-changing trends alone does not guarantee lasting growth. In his view, staying true to the product, finding customers' inconveniences and developing products to fit them matters more than making trend-driven items. [1]

## Sources

1. [biz.heraldcorp.com](https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/10935779)

---

Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-829337e00b0857c4989d34f3_shinsegae_says_sweet/