S. Korea’s retail sales edge up 0.1 pct in Feb.

Sales of major South Korean retailers rose slightly last month as a sharp gain in online sales was offset by a drop in those of discount chains and department stores, government data showed Thursday.

The combined sales of department stores, large outlets and online malls edged up 0.1 percent in February from a year earlier, backtracking from a 9.3 percent rise in the previous month, according to the data by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Thirteen Internet shopping malls and e-commerce sites including eBay Korea Co. saw their February sales soar 16.3 percent from a year ago, while sales of 13 offline stores such as Lotte Department Store and E-Mart fell 6.6 percent on-year.

The ministry said the decline in offline malls came as the number of business days dropped to 26 days in February this year from last year’s 27 a year earlier and the Lunar New Year’s holiday, one of the biggest shopping seasons in the country, fell on January.

Sales by convenience stores continued on an upbeat mode to grow 9.3 percent on-year last month amid a growing single life trend in South Korea.