Oseyo, a Korean food and lifestyle retailer, has opened a new flagship store in Eldon Square, Newcastle, marking the company’s first outlet in the North East of England and its largest shop to date in the UK.
What the new store offers
The unit occupies around 20,000 sq ft and presents a wide selection of Asian groceries, fresh produce, beauty and lifestyle products. The format aims to be experience-led rather than solely transactional: customers will find curated tasting areas and several interactive attractions designed to draw visitors into the city centre.
- Food and drink: Asian grocery lines and fresh produce.
- Beauty and lifestyle: Korean cosmetics and related products.
- Interactive features: Ramyun Library, Korean-style photobooths, Japanese claw machines and product tasting areas.
Town centre impact
The arrival of Oseyo is notable for several reasons. Retailers choosing to open large-format stores in Newcastle city centre can support footfall for surrounding businesses and contribute to the diversification of the shopping mix at a time when bricks-and-mortar retail is evolving. Eldon Square’s centre management framed the opening as part of a strategy to adapt to changing consumer preferences by offering more experiential destinations.
“We’re delighted to have welcomed Oseyo’s largest-ever store to Eldon Square,” said Helen Cowie, centre director at Eldon Square.
The store is likely to appeal to a range of customers: international communities seeking familiar brands, food enthusiasts curious about Korean and wider Asian products, and younger shoppers attracted to the interactive features.
Practical details and what to expect
Shoppers can expect the large space to include both shelf-based grocery retail and destination features intended for browsing and photography, rather than a quick in-and-out supermarket visit. That mix is increasingly common as city-centre landlords and operators encourage longer dwell time to sustain cafes, restaurants and other experiential operators nearby.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Location | Eldon Square, Newcastle |
| Size | 20,000 sq ft |
| Offer | Asian groceries, fresh produce, beauty, lifestyle, interactive attractions |
For local retailers and shoppers alike, the opening underlines Eldon Square’s continuing role as a primary retail hub in Newcastle. While individual sales figures and staffing numbers for the new store have not been disclosed, the scale of the unit and experiential elements indicate a significant investment in the city centre retail environment.
Further developments in Eldon Square’s tenant mix may follow as landlords respond to demand for experience-led destinations and diverse food offers. For shoppers, the new Oseyo presents another reason to visit the city centre and explore global food and beauty trends without leaving Newcastle.
