The Galleria, one of the poshest department stores in southern Seoul, signed a partnership agreement with the New York-based store Bergdorf Goodman on Monday, in an attempt to attract more foreign customers and expand its brand globally.

It said the tie-up is a starting point for the retail store to “build its brand on the global stage and forge a foothold for extensive alliances with other world-class department stores.” The Galleria was the second-most visited department store for foreign shoppers in Seoul last year.

“The Galleria is expected to go beyond Korea and become the highest premium store in the Asian region through the deal,” said Park Se-hun, president and CEO of Hanwha Galleria, the operator of the Galleria and the department store unit of Hanwha Group. 

The tie-up will create special shopping experiences for existing customers and become an attraction for overseas tourists, according to the South Korean retail store.

The agreement underlines close cooperation between the two luxury stores including offering equivalent services and benefits to VIP customers when they visit either the department store in Manhattan or the one in Gangnam-gu, both well-known shopping spots.

According to the Seoul-based department store, the Hanwha Galleria president has been pushing to seal the deal, making a personal visit to New York in July to meet Joshua Shulman, president of Bergdorf Goodman.

“The partnership signifies that VIP customers and high-end department stores around the world now recognize the Galleria’s high-quality merchandizing, marketing and service,” said Yoo Je-sik, head of Galleria Luxury Hall. 

“The Galleria plans to provide services that only its customers can enjoy by building more global partnerships with luxury department stores,” Yoo added.

Under the deal, Bergdorf Goodman will provide various exclusive services to Galleria’s VIPs including personal shoppers who are able to translate.

It will also offer an accommodation reservation service for Korean premium customers with discounted prices at Bergdorf Goodman’s affiliated hotels. Customers need to give one-week notice prior to their departure for New York.

Likewise, the Galleria will provide similar services for Bergdorf Goodman VIPs, including use of the VIP lounge and concierge service.

The two department stores will further strengthen cooperation by inviting the respective premium customers for special events such as fashion weeks and trunk shows that will be held at the department stores. They will also jointly develop merchandising strategies and events in the future, a Galleria official said.

Following the deal with the New York retail store, the Galleria added that it plans to further reach out to top department stores in Europe to boost its global network.

By Park Han-na (hnpark@heraldcorp.com)