Reporting and analysis on retail, e-commerce, and consumer trends in Korea, updated continuously by our newsroom.
Microsoft Korea said Tuesday the ongoing digital revolution will add roughly $42 billion to Korea’s gross domestic product by 2021 and push up the country’s growth rate by 0.5 percent annually. The projection was based on research conducted with market…
Naver and Daum, Korea’s two largest search engines, will begin providing real-time cryptocurrency prices on their websites. Dunamu, an affiliate of Kakao which operates the cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, will run the service, the company said. Users can enter…
Korea’s domestic coffee market surpassed 10 trillion won in 2017 for the first time ever as demand for the brew continues to rise, market data showed. According to the Korea Customs Service (KCS), the country’s coffee market stood at 11.7 trillion won…
AmorePacific Group, Korea’s largest cosmetics company, apologized Tuesday for selling products that contained high levels of the dangerous heavy metal antimony. The company said it is in the process of taking the products off store shelves. On Monday, the…
South Korean liquor maker Hite Jinro has opened its second exclusive offshore bar, in Hong Kong, as part of its outreach campaign with its beer and soju labels. In Lan Kwai Fong, its bar is its second overseas flagship store following the opening of Jinro…
All eyes are on whether “wearable credit cards,” which became a hit during the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang in South Korea, will be able to gain ground in the domestic market even after the closing ceremony of the Olympics. In the United Kingdom and…
Scale continues to play a major part in attracting shoppers both online and offline, a recent survey showed, with supermarket chains and large open market platforms coming top in consumers’ preferred retail outlets. According to a joint survey conducted by…
Amorepacific-owned beauty brand Etude House has arrived in the Middle East with the first store opening in Dubai. The standalone store is located inside Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping centre, boasting 80 million visitors a year. All of Etude House’s…
The South Korean retail industry suggest that the popularity of “1,000 won coffee” is constantly growing. People are fond of it as it is brewed directly from the coffee machines and they get the opportunity to taste it while shopping at the convenience…
Lotte China plans to wrap up the sales of its hypermarket chain in China within the next three months. Potential buyers have started to inspect the South Korean retail giant’s stores. While many have reviewed documents, Chinese retailer Liqun Group was the…
Swiss travel retail operator Dufry says its sales in its Asia-Australia-Middle East division rose 5.4 per cent last year with most markets contributing to the improvement. Turnover was CHF809.1 million (US$849 million) last year, up from CHF770.7 million the…
LG Electronics has opened a premium home appliance store in Kuwait to retail its upmarket Signature range of products. The two-storey store, located in Rozana Mall, features 433sqm of display space showcasing high-resolution televisions, and household…
Scottish golfwear brand Glenmuir has opened its first Korea pop-up store in Gangnam. Located in Shinsegae Department Store, the short-term store offers the company’s Spring/Summer 2018 collection. Glenmuir plans to open a permanent shop inside Shinsegae…
Korea’s It’s Hanbul Cosmetics plans to expand into Japan by partnering with a local retailer. The company has brought its flagship brand It’s Skin to Japan via two pop-up stores inside ‘Niko and…’ stores in Tokyo and Funabashi, and plans to open eight more…
Fast-food chain NeNe Chicken Malaysia has opened its second outlet, in Petaling Jaya. Located at The Starling Mall, the new restaurant can accommodate 120 customers with an outdoor seating area. NeNe Chicken Malaysia MD Raymond Wong said the chain would focus…
Mercedes and BMW both sold more cars in South Korea than General Motors for the first time last month, helped by the growing popularity of German premium brands and as consumers shied away from GM after it announced a major restructuring. While home-grown…
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