Willbeplay, the sports brand of Hyungji Elite (CEO Choi Joon-ho), announced on the 8th that it has successfully wrapped up a pop-up store themed on the championship history of K League 1 professional football club FC Seoul. The pop-up ran for six days in Seoul's Seongsu-dong, from the 29th of last month through the 4th of this month, and drew a total of 15,811 visitors during that period, according to the company's count.
The event is notable for extending the club's merchandise touchpoints, previously limited to sales inside the stadium, into consumer spaces beyond it. A Hyungji Elite official explained that, following the brand matchday successfully held at Seoul World Cup Stadium last month, the company opened the Seongsu-dong pop-up to connect more closely not only with football fans but with the general public as well. According to the company, FC Seoul fans as well as shoppers with a strong interest in sports fashion turned out steadily from opening day.
Hyungji Elite is FC Seoul's sports merchandising partner. Sports merchandising refers to the business of developing and selling official products such as jerseys, apparel and accessories using a club's emblem and identity. Hyungji Elite's Willbeplay said that, as FC Seoul's official partner, it focused on looking back on the club's history and stylishly reinterpreting the distinctive heritage built up over many years for the pop-up edition.
The merchandise on sale included special replica jerseys capturing the club's history and identity, along with an accessories lineup enhanced by Willbeplay's design and product planning capabilities. The company said these products were well received.
Alongside merchandise sales, the pop-up offered content in which visitors could take part directly. Interactive programs included an oversized photo zone for snapping souvenir photos, easy-to-play mini games and a stamp tour, with a variety of rewards offered throughout the venue. The setup was designed so that even visitors who are not club fans could engage with the brand and the club through hands-on experiences.
In keeping with the event's theme of celebrating the club's championship history, a series of players also made appearances. National team players Jung Seung-won, Koo Sung-yun and Choi Jun attended the pop-up to meet and interact with fans in person, while current FC Seoul players Kim Jin-su, Moon Seon-min and Cho Young-wook also stopped by. Club legends including Ko Yo-han, Kim Ju-young and Ko Kwang-min visited as well, sharing the club's history and fans' memories.
A Hyungji Elite official said that, having presented FC Seoul's history and heritage in diverse ways through Willbeplay's distinctive planning capabilities, the company hopes the event served as a meaningful occasion that offered fans a fresh experience.
As FC Seoul's sports merchandising partner, Hyungji Elite offers club merchandise including replica jerseys, apparel and accessories, and operates the newly renovated official merchandise shop "Fan Park" inside Seoul World Cup Stadium. The progression from the permanent in-stadium store to the matchday and now the Seongsu-dong pop-up can be seen as a structure that splits the distribution of club merchandise between inside and outside the stadium. However, the pop-up's sales figures and any plans for follow-up pop-ups were not disclosed.
