Reporting and analysis on retail, e-commerce, and consumer trends in Korea, updated continuously by our newsroom.
A new Chanel South Korea flagship has opened in Seoul. The Cheongdam-dong boutique opening provided the opportunity for the brand to unveil its latest ready-to-wear collection alongside its capsule accessories collaboration with musician Pharrell Williams,…
Kia Motors is all set to reveal a trio of new concepts at the 2019 Seoul Motor Show and they will preview the brand’s future design direction. Two of the three concepts make their international debut in Seoul, with the rugged Kia Masterpiece Concept which…
A South Korean supplier of Tesla Inc said on Friday it had agreed to buy a shuttered auto factory from General Motors’ local unit to start contract manufacturing of electric vehicles. The deal comes after GM closed one of its four South Korean plants in late…
Hyundai India will be entering the subcompact SUV segment later this year with an all-new offering. The company recently confirmed that the new model will be called the Hyundai Venue upon launch, carandbike can now confirm that the new SUV will be unveiled on…
Hong Kong-based AS Watson has chosen its part-owned German subsidiary Rossmann for its next Asian market debut, South Korea. The German drug-store brand has confirmed it will begin selling products in South Korea on May 1, shipping direct from Germany. It…
SK Telecom has announced it has used augmented reality to simulate a fire-breathing dragon at a sports stadium as part of its ongoing development of new 5G-powered services. Using augmented reality technology, the large fire-breathing wyvern was streamed…
Korean cosmetics firm VDL is expanding in the Canadian market with the launch of the brand’s first flagship store in Toronto’s Queen West neighborhood. VDL, which stands for Vivid Dreams come to Life, was founded by LG Household & Health Care Corp in 2012.…
South Korean food manufacturer Daesang is reportedly exiting the convenience store business, selling its stake in the Ministop chain. A cut-throat industry in the territory, competition between players has become so intense that legislation is now in effect…
South Korean conglomerate SK Group plans to acquire a $1 billion stake in Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate Vingroup. SK plans to make the investment as early as next month, it said. Vingroup recently sought its shareholders’ vote on a plan to raise at…
South Korea’s KT has awarded Ericsson a 5G contract aimed at allowing the operator to launch commercial 5G services early next month. South Korean operators have agreed to launch 5G services at the same time in April at the request of regulator KCC. Under the…
Shoppers buying goods online from Television Broadcasts Limited’s Big Big Shop will be able to collect their purchases at any Circle K Convenience store across town. The click-and-collect service results from a partnership between TVB and Convenience Retail…
South Korea’s K-pop merchandise market is booming, reaching KRW 150 billion (US$132 million) last year. Led by the recent global fame of BTS, K-pop’s popularity has expanded far and wide, and a growing number of fans are enthusiastically spend their time and…
Bubble milk tea brand Tiger Sugar Korea will open first branch in Hongdae, a bustling university town of Seoul. Located at a popular hang-out area for young people, the Hongdae store will offer the same taste as that in Taiwan and use premium ingredients to…
South Korean private equity firm Unison Capital is selling its Gong Cha bubble tea franchise in a deal likely to fetch up to US$442 million. The company purchased the brand four years ago for KRW34 billion ($30 million), before taking over its global…
South Korea’s online exports surged 25 percent in 2018 from a year ago on the back of growing demand for K-beauty and K-pop related items such as album records and stationery supplies, government data showed. According to Korea Customs Service, Korea’s…
For Amorepacific, the last year has been painful in terms of both sales and brand development. The cosmetics giant saw its operating profit halve to 549 billion won (US$491 million) in 2018, just two years after it joined the “1 trillion-won sales club” in…
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