Reporting and analysis on retail, e-commerce, and consumer trends in Korea, updated continuously by our newsroom.
Starbucks Korea plans to open a new location near the border between South Korea and North Korea, with a view into the latter country. The outlet will open on Nov. 27 on the second floor of the Jogang Observatory in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea,…
Italian luxury fashion brand N21 (Numero Ventuno) has opened its first store in South Korea at the Hyundai Department Store Trade Center, marking its entry into the Korean market. Founded in 2010 by designer Alessandro Dell’Acqua, N21 is known for its modern…
Korean Air has selected Air Incheon as the preferred bidder for the sale of Asiana Airlines’ global cargo freighter business. The decision was made at the Board of Directors meeting held on June 17. Korean Air selected Air Incheon as the preferred bidder…
Clothing purchased from Shein for scientific testing has been found to contain “significant quantities” of potentially dangerous chemicals. The investigation found that one pair of shoes contained 428 times the permitted levels of phthalates – the highest…
Flights depart from Incheon International Airport at 9:15 pm and arrive at Macau International Airport at 11:55 pm. The return flight departs from Macau International Airport at 1:10 am the next day and arrives at Incheon International Airport at 6:00 am. The…
Korean burger and chicken fast food chain Mom’s Touch is set to open its first directly managed Japanese store in Shibuya, Tokyo. Scheduled to open on April 16, the new 418 sqm Shibuya store will sit in a location that used to be occupied by McDonald’s and…
Coupang customers in South Korea can now directly purchase products from Japan, thanks to the e-commerce platform’s expansion of its overseas direct purchase service. With Japanese products now available through the Rocket Jikgu direct purchase service,…
Ikea Korea, the South Korean branch of the world’s largest furniture brand, has faced a continued downturn in its performance, reversing the growth observed last year. After experiencing a sales decline for the first time since entering the Korean market,…
Italian luxury brand Herno has made its first presence in South Korea, in partnership with Shinsegae International. The launch also marks Herno’s first presence in a duty-free shop. Located on the ninth floor of the Shinsegae Duty-Free Myeongdong branch, the…
South Korea’s retail sales increased 6.4 per cent year-on-year in October amid higher demand for food items and daily necessities. The combined sales of 25 major offline and online merchants grew to 15.3 trillion won (US$11.87 billion) during the month from…
Chanel Korea has been fined for requesting names and contact numbers from waiting customers and their companions. The Personal Information Protection Commission announced on Thursday that it had decided to impose a fine of $2.761 on Chanel Korea for violating…
Lazada Group and the Seoul Business Agency (SBA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to allow South Korean SMEs to expand into the Southeast Asia market. The SBA will take the lead in promoting Lazada as a prominent Southeast Asian e-commerce…
South Korea’s retail sales grew 3.3 percent year over year in August on the back of higher sales in convenience stores super super market (SSM) operators, and online cosmetics and food retailers. The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE) surveyed 13…
McDonald’s Korea has introduced voice-guided self-service kiosks at some of its Seoul locations, making it the first fast-food chain in South Korea to do so. They did this to make it easier for visually impaired customers to order. These special kiosks,…
Korean Air will begin its full-scale digital transition to electronic air waybill (e-AWB) to replace conventional paper documents and will apply to general cargo departing from Korea bound for North America, Europe, Japan and other select markets. The airline…
South Korea continues to evolve as a major e-commerce market and is expected to register a strong compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.7% between 2023 and 2027 to reach KRW202.6 trillion ($160.4 billion) in 2027, forecasts GlobalData, a leading data and…
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