Reporting and analysis on retail, e-commerce, and consumer trends in Korea, updated continuously by our newsroom.
From couples with babies on strollers to seniors holding toddlers’ hands, a recent annual baby fair held at Coex, in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, was packed with a sea of Koreans wanting to explore the latest and premium products for their children. The…
The Chinese tourism and travel retail business began with a bang in January with arrivals up by +32.4% year-on-year to 521,981, according to Korea Tourism Organization. The growth is all the more impressive for coming off a strong base. January 2015 saw a…
South Korea’s apparel brand Eland recently signed an agreement with China’s Wanda Group to establish a tourism joint venture in South Korea. This is reportedly the first cooperating result of the two parties since they signed their leisure industry investment…
South Koreans are spending record amounts shopping with their mobile devices, raising the risk of debt downgrades for retail giants still focused on mall traffic. The odds that the nation’s No 1 department store operator, Lotte Shopping Co, will miss debt…
Rip Curl has been around for a long time. Like many clothing brands, they have a tag on them that says “Made in China.” According to the Sydney Morning Herald, though, a large part of their 2015 line wasn’t made in China–it was made in North Korea, and under…
South Korea’s retail stocks suffered a series of challenges last year, including the broader economy’s downturn to a nationwide outbreak of a deadly virus. Experts see no turnaround in sight for them this year, as economic worries continue to weigh down on…
Kingsdown, an employee-owned mattress manufacturer, announced recently that it has debuted its first bedMATCH system in Songdo, South Korea. Kingsdown is one of the largest U.S. manufacturers selling product in Asia, and plans to use this program as a…
An explosive Fairfax Media investigation has revealed that Aussie surfwear giant, Rip Curl, has been manufacturing garments out of North Korean factories where the workers are forced to withstand slave-like conditions. The range of winter garments were…
The flagship store of JAJU, a retail brand by Shinsegae International, is all clean lines, muted colors and minimalist goods. Everything from notepads and diffusers to kitchen products, body cushions and clothes are on display for prices that make even the…
Luxury Italian brand Furla is planning more flagship stores in Asia as the region delivers strong growth for the 89-year-old family-owned company. In an exclusive interview with Inside Retail Asia, Furla CEO Eraldo Poletto explains how the company has bucked…
Luxury Italian lifestyle brand Paul & Shark has opened its first boutique in South Korea, at Incheon International Airport. The new Paul & Shark Korea store, run in partnership with Lotte Duty Free, features the brand’s new collections. Another two openings…
High operating costs – particularly rents and labor in Asia – will ensure retailers are more cautious this year, concludes real estate specialist CBRE. In its annual Asian retail outlook, the company’s research department predicts many retailers will shift…
In a round-up of the immersive, hands-on retail offerings which beauty brands are increasingly offering in the country, the national paper highlighted the rise of smart technology and wearables as the key driver behind the trend. “Seeking to offer more…
As of 6 p.m. on Monday, Marine Techno, a cosmetics company that specializes in products made from marine collagen, successfully gathered 76 million won ($64,000) from retail investors on the nation’s first crowdfunding portal, which had opened earlier in the…
Kakao, the Korean internet pioneer, has selected ‘Hair Shop’ as its first O2O (online to offline) business in the beauty sector. Kakao plans to expand its O2O business by releasing new services – relief drivers and the hair industry. According to industry…
Mark your social calendars as 50 gorgeous and talented ladies from all over the globe will sashay under the spotlight in the sixth edition of Miss SuperTalent of the World 2016. Pageant producer Sutal Group announced that the highly anticipated event will be…
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