Lotte Shopping has been selected as the new operator of commercial facilities at Yeongdeungpo Station in Seoul, securing a 10-year usage permit for its Lotte Department Store branch. The permit begins when the new contract is signed, with rent set at 22.96 billion won. Korea National Railway held three unsuccessful tenders since February before Lotte Department Store became the sole bidder in the fourth public tender. The branch opened in 1991 as the country’s first department store inside a privately financed railway station. Lotte previously operated under a contract covering 2020 through 2024 and secured a five-year extension for 2025 through 2029, but returned the remaining contract period in June last year because the shorter term made medium- and long-term investment difficult. The company had said it wanted at least 10 years to support a full renovation. The branch has faced weaker sales, higher rent-related fixed costs, aging facilities and increased competition from The Hyundai Seoul and Shinsegae Department Store’s nearby Times Square branch. Lotte now plans differentiated merchandising and other measures to strengthen the store’s position in western Seoul’s retail market.