Reporting and analysis on retail, e-commerce, and consumer trends in Korea, updated continuously by our newsroom.
Sports brand ‘BARREL’ enters cosmetics market with its water-based travel concept. BARREL announced its plans to expand its business into cosmetics as well as indoor swimwear and athleisure markets. Launched in 2014, BARREL is a company specializing in…
Samsung has officially announced the arrival of the new Galaxy A8 (2018) in Malaysia. The Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) are the company’s new mid-range offerings, featuring IP68-rated bodies and a new dual front camera setup, and will retail from…
Bitcoin skidded below US$10,000 (RM39,500) yesterday, halving in value from its peak price, with investors gripped by fears regulators could clamp down on the volatile cryptocurrency that sky-rocketed last year. The price of bitcoin, the world’s biggest and…
The first official Apple Store Korea will open later this month. Apple Korea announced today that its first fully-fledged retail shop in South Korea will open on January 27, on Garosugil in the affluent southern district of Gangnam in Seoul.Apple said on its…
This weekend the cryptocurrency markets went on contending against the setback caused by a last week’s regulatory announcement from South Korea, which turned out to be false. On January 11, Justice Minister Park stated that the ministry is working on drafting…
Starbucks Korea’s annual operating profit soared past 100 billion won (US$94 million) for the first time last year, despite intense competition in the domestic cafe sector. Industry sources told Yonhap news service the record result was driven by solid demand…
Korean fast-fashion brand H:Connect has expanded into Vietnam, opening two stores. H:Connect Vietnam’s first store opened two weeks ago in Hanoi. Now a second store has opened in Crescent Mall in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 7, taking up more than 450sqm. Both…
Korean coffee chain Caffe Bene has collapsed, filing for a court-led restructuring scheme on Friday. Yonhap news service reports the court will soon decide whether to put the ailing coffee chain under its receivership or commence liquidation. The legal move…
With its new second store at Incheon International Airport (IIA), Shilla Duty Free says it now has cosmetics and perfume outlets at all passenger terminals in Asia’s three largest airports. The South Korean duty-free retailer says it has shops at all four…
Cryptocurrency trading in Korea is getting more detached, flying by its own rules. Recently, the news of an upcoming ban rattled the market. CoinMarketCap decided to alter its calculation protocol to exclude prices in Korea, thus for a while scaring investors…
Healthy diet, meditation and breathing, gift wrapping, those are the free classes that Canadian Yoga clothing brand Lululemon offers for the public every month. The Cheongdam Flagship Store, which opened in May 2017, runs a whole floor as a studio for…
Last week, Hyundai Motor Company and Aurora, a leader in autonomous vehicle technology, announced a strategic partnership to bring self-driving Hyundai vehicles to market by 2021. This partnership will incorporate Aurora’s self-driving technology into Hyundai…
Asia Pacific has continued double-digit growth for heritage brand owner Richemont for its third quarter to the end of December. Total sales in the quarter increased by 7 per cent at constant exchange rates and by 1 per cent at actual rates over the same…
French luxury brand Louis Vuitton has chosen Korea for the launch of its new collection for men. The new SS18 menswear and bags will be available in Shinsegae Department Store from 19 January, and Louis Vuitton men’s exclusive store in Seoul from the 10…
Starbucks Coffee Korea Co., a 50/50 joint venture between Starbucks Coffee International, Inc. and Shinsegae Group, celebrated the opening of Korea’s largest Starbucks store in Central Seoul near Jonggak Station in December 2017. Located in Jongro Tower, with…
Award-winning Tartine Bakery is expanding from San Francisco and will open its first overseas branch in Seoul’s Hannam Dong area on February 9. There are plans to also open about four more Tartine Korea outlets over the next 12 to 18 months. Heading the…
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