SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s e-commerce sector is undergoing a sharp consolidation, with a winner-takes-all structure emerging as Coupang and Naver entrench their dominance. Smaller players are collapsing or being forced into alliances, while global challengers from China accelerate their advance. The collapse of mid-tier platforms Tmon and Wemakeprice last year, which [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s antitrust regulator on Thursday conditionally approved a joint venture between Shinsegae Group’s Gmarket and Alibaba’s AliExpress Korea, clearing the way for a new challenger to disrupt a market long dominated by Coupang and Naver. The tie-up, structured as a 50:50 joint company under Grand Opus Holding, will [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean retail giant Shinsegae Group said Thursday its joint venture with Alibaba International has secured regulatory approval, clearing the way for a launch next month that could reshape the country’s online retail landscape. The 50:50 venture, greenlit by the Korea Fair Trade Commission, was approved after the companies [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean retailers are bracing for the return of Chinese tour groups, set to enter visa-free from September 29, by rolling out fresh promotions and diversifying their product lineups beyond luxury cosmetics to fashion, lifestyle and even convenience store exclusives. In the mid-2010s, Chinese “Youke” travelers became synonymous with [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s major discount store chain Homeplus Co. said Wednesday it will close 15 stores by December while cutting operating hours at others as part of belt-tightening efforts by the ailing retail company. Under the plan, Homeplus will shut five locations in mid-November and 10 others in December, the [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Orion’s flagship K-snack, Turtle Chips, has secured shelf space in all 1,200 Carrefour stores across France, marking the first time a single Korean snack brand has been simultaneously stocked in every outlet of the French retail giant. The breakthrough comes after Carrefour’s buyers gave the four-layered snack high marks for [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Hyundai Department Store said Monday it will stage a special “The Hyundai Global Stage” at the upcoming Tokyo Girls Collection (TGC), marking the first time the Japanese fashion showcase will dedicate a runway to Korean brands. The event, set for Sept. 6 at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo, is Japan’s [...]
SEOUL· SEJONG, Aug. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — AliExpress, the Chinese e-commerce platform, has been hit with a multimillion-dollar penalty in South Korea for misleading customers with inflated discount claims on thousands of products. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said Sunday it imposed corrective orders and fines totaling 20.93 billion won ($15.5 million) after finding that [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — Hyundai Department Store Co. said Tuesday it will open its first retail outlet in Japan next month as part of its global expansion strategy to promote Korean brands. The Hyundai Global retail store will be located in the Shibuya Parco shopping mall in Tokyo, with plans to rotate featured [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s antitrust regulator has fined the operator of Burger King Korea 300 million won ($217,000) for forcing franchisees to buy tomatoes and cleaning products from designated suppliers without proper disclosure — even imposing penalties up to store closure for noncompliance. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said on Wednesday it [...]