Retailer Emart will launch a new brand, the Howdy discount store, at Starfield mall in Goyang city, northwest of Seoul, next week.

Targeting male consumers in their 30s and 40s, the 113 sqm store will offer items from various brands categorised into Tech, Living, Hobby, Style and Grooming.

In the Tech corner, there will be such products as speakers, cameras and drones; the Living section will feature household items; Hobby will offer action figures, Lego building blocks and camping goods; Style covers fashion items like sunglasses; while Grooming will include shaving products and hair wax.

A feature is a vending machine containing 400 goods such as plastic action figures and Nike Jordan shoes.

Howdy already has an online store, launched last month, which sells products from more than 100 brands.

“Howdy was planned amid the rise of kidults and male trendsetters who show a value-based consumption pattern,” says Emart brand strategy director Jung Yang-oh. “In other words, they do not hesitate to open their wallets for items that fit with their values and fields of interest.”

This is the first time for Emart to target a specific type customer demographic rather than a product category.