Reporting and analysis on retail, e-commerce, and consumer trends in Korea, updated continuously by our newsroom.
Samsung Electronics has chosen India as the first country in which to release its Galaxy A9 mid-range smartphone. The company is set to begin sales of the model on Nov. 28. The A9, introduced on Oct. 11 in Kuala Lumpur, in the presence of some 1,000…
Starbucks Korea is stocking all 1,225 of its stores nationwide with paper straws in a bid to cut down on its plastic usage. Starting last Monday, Starbucks began stocking all of its stores with white paper straws, which it found during trials to be more…
Hotel booking sites Agoda and Booking.com have been ordered to revise their no-refund policies or potentially face legal action. Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) announced on Wednesday that it has ordered the two global travel platforms to revise the terms…
Just before the Fair Trade Commission comes to a decision on whether Apple has violated domestic fair trade laws, Korean phone distributors are calling the tech giant out for being the only phone manufacturer in the country that makes them pay for display…
Design firm Lukstudio has created a theatrical-style shop and cafe as a promotional and retail space for fashion platform Dear So Cute in Chinese Haining. Inspired by South Korean cafe/fashion trends, the design is intended to communicate the brand’s values…
Korean lifestyle brand Mumuso has announced its plan to open 300 stores across India by 2022. The lifestyle brand, currently present in 30 countries, entered the Indian market in September with a flagship store in Kolkata’s Park Street. “Mumuso is eyeing the…
Hyundai AutoEver, an ICT affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group, plans to go public on the Korean stock market, a move seen as a preliminary step to the group’s restructuring. The company said it submitted an application for preliminary screening to the Korea…
7-Eleven South Korea has launched an unmanned locker service called Seven Locker at two stores in Seoul. The initiative is part of the company’s effort to diversify operations and generate more profits for its convenience stores. The Seven Locker trial…
LG Display said last Wednesday it has installed electronic kiosks in its facilities across the country, helping employees make donations easily. The company said employees can swipe their identity cards on the kiosks and make donations ranging from 1,000 won…
Apple South Korea is under fire from retailers, accused of using unfair commercial practices. South Korean retailers have joined forces to confront Apple’s continuous “gapjil” — a uniquely Korean term referring to the abuse of power by someone against a…
The winter promotion for Lotte Duty Free will kick off on 23 November and run until 2 January 2019. The large-scale event will see more than 50 overseas brands, including MaxMara, Ferragamo and Vivienne Westwood, offered at a discount of 20-80%. During the…
Nykaa.com, India’s leading beauty retailer has launched Korean Beauty brand Laneige, exclusively in India. Laneige maximizes the potential of water to deliver the right solution to each skin concern with carefully selected, optimum natural ingredients. The…
South Korea’s Coupan, the fast-growing e-commerce firm, will receive an investment of US$2 billion from the SoftBank Vision Fund. The funding follows SoftBank Group’s initial investment of $1 billion in June 2015. The new round of capital will enable Coupang…
Mobile payments at South Korean convenience stores have more than doubled this year thanks to the greater use of smartphones and the expansion of mobile settlement services. South Korea’s top convenience store chain CU said the number of so-called easy mobile…
On Tuesday, Hyundai Motor said that its Palisade SUV will come with a new feature dubbed Snow Mode that is designed to help the vehicle navigate snowy terrain by redistributing power to its wheels. The Palisade, Hyundai Motor’s new large SUV, is slated to…
Naver Labs and Qualcomm will work together on future technology like robotics and self-driving vehicles, the local IT company said on Tuesday. The two companies signed an agreement on Monday to combine their knowledge and expertise. U.S.-based Qualcomm is a…
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