SEOUL, April 7 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korean retail giant Lotte Group’s Chinese retail operations are facing a protracted business suspension as Chinese authorities are expected to extend punitive measures for an additional month in retaliation for Seoul’s decision to deploy a U.S. missile defense system, industry sources said Friday. According to Lotte, 41 out [...]
SEOUL, April 7 (Korea Bizwire) – Samsung Electronics Co. predicted Friday that its first-quarter operating profit for this year advanced 48.2 percent on-year, apparently helped by the robust performance of its chip business. Operating profit is estimated at 9.9 trillion won (US$8.76 billion) in the January-March period, compared with 6.68 trillion won posted a year [...]
SEOUL, April 4 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s largest multiplex cinema chain, CGV, with theaters around the world, is turning its Yeouido branch into what it calls a ‘cultureplex’, at which different types of culture, entertainment and lifestyle events such as performances, art, concerts, exhibitions and napping places will be hosted. This Friday, a classical piano [...]
SEOUL, April 4 (Korea Bizwire) – Geeks or otaku, a Japanese term for describing people with obsessive interests in particular fields, have emerged as major consumer groups in South Korea amid the prolonged economic slump, more likely to open up their wallets for their hobbies and passions. The retail industry has seen double-digit sales growth thanks [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s tallest skyscraper built by retail giant Lotte Group officially opened to the public on Monday, the group’s operating unit said, marking another milestone for the country’s fifth-largest business empire facing a slew of challenges. The opening ceremony of the 123-story Lotte World Tower was attended by top [...]
SEOUL, April 4 (Korea Bizwire) – Exports of South Korean beauty and cosmetics products to Europe have expanded by tenfold over the past seven years, largely driven by surging demand for locally made facial care and makeup items, a report showed Tuesday. The outbound shipments of Korean beauty products to Europe reached 92.5 million euros [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean retail giant Lotte Group saw its brand value rise in the first quarter of this year despite China’s retaliation against the conglomerate over a controversial missile defense system, a poll showed Sunday. Brandstock, a South Korean market research firm that determines the rankings of local brands, said [...]
SEOUL, April 2 (Korea Bizwire) – Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest manufacturer of smartphones, slightly reduced its expenditures on research and development (R&D) projects last year, data showed Wednesday, as it sought to acquire key technologies through mergers and acquisitions, data showed Sunday. Samsung Electronics Co. spent 14.79 trillion won (US$13.2 billion) on R&D [...]
SEOUL, March 31 (Korea Bizwire) — There’s a new coinage emerging amongst South Korean consumers that literally translates into “f— it expense.” The origin of sibal (the four-letter word) biyong (expense or cost) goes back to November 28 of last year, when a local Twitter user (satuki_yami) defined the term as an expense that could [...]
SEOUL, March 30 (Korea Bizwire) – A wave of artificial intelligence (AI) is sweeping the retail industry in South Korea, as major department stores and online shopping malls rush to adopt the latest technology to attract consumers. Shinsegae is the first in the retail industry to deploy a marketing strategy involving AI technology. Starting today, Shinsegae [...]