SEJONG, July 31 (Korea Bizwire) — Sales of cigarettes in South Korea rose 3.8 percent on-year in the first half of this year, data showed Friday, thanks to robust sales of traditional cigarettes. South Korean smokers purchased 1.74 billion 20-cigarette packs in the January-June period, compared with 1.67 billion packs in the same period last [...]
SEOUL, July 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Retail sales in South Korea expanded 4.6 percent in June from a year earlier despite the new coronavirus pandemic as more people purchased groceries and home appliances through online platforms, data showed Thursday. The combined sales of 26 major offline and online retailers reached 11.14 trillion won (US$9.32 billion) [...]
SEOUL, July 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Despite the boycott movement against Japanese products marking its first year after being sparked by Japan’s export restrictions against South Korea, consumption of Japanese cigarettes has remained more or less unaffected. The Korea Customs Service reported that South Korea imported 4,220.6 tons of cigarettes from the Philippines between July [...]
SEOUL, July 27 (Korea Bizwire) — Duty-free sales rose for the second straight month in June, but their sales still remained half of pre-pandemic figures, industry data showed Monday. Combined sales at duty-free shops in South Korea reached 1.11 trillion won (US$923 million) in June, up 9.3 percent from a month earlier, according to the [...]
SEOUL, July 24 (Korea Bizwire) — With the coronavirus pandemic increasing demand for so-called ‘untact’ consumption, retailers are scrambling to introduce unmanned checkout services. E-Mart Inc., South Korea’s largest discount store chain by sales, currently operates some 700 unmanned checkout kiosks across 110 stores, or 78 percent of all E-Mart stores nationwide. After first introducing [...]
SEOUL, July 19 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s exports of ice cream to Vietnam jumped 30 percent in 2019 from a year earlier on the back of the growing popularity of Korean culture in Southeast Asia, data showed Sunday. Outbound shipments of ice cream to Vietnam reached US$7 million in 2019, rising sharply from $5.3 [...]
SEOUL, July 17 (Korea Bizwire) — A recent survey has revealed that women prioritize brand value and ethics when buying cosmetics products. Olive Young, one of the major health and beauty store chain in South Korea, conducted a survey of 2,000 female consumers during the period from June 17 to 24 in collaboration with beauty [...]
SEOUL, July 12 (Korea Bizwire) — A state-led sales festival designed to boost spending amid the coronavirus outbreak was set to end Sunday, with major department stores posting an increase in revenue on high demand for luxury goods. But discount store chains and traditional markets did not see intended sales-boosting impacts due mainly to a [...]
SEOUL, July 10 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s food makers are estimated to have recorded sharply higher operating profits in the second quarter as the new coronavirus outbreak boosted demand for ready-to-eat meals, a poll showed Friday. The combined operating profit by CJ Cheiljedang Corp., Nongshim Co., Orion Corp., Ottogi Co. and Samyang Foods Co. [...]
SEOUL, July 10 (Korea Bizwire) — An increasing number of South Korea women are bulking up to stay healthy rather than striving to have a slim shape. Gmarket, an online shopping mall run by eBay Korea, announced on Thursday that sales of muscle-building equipment purchased by female customers in the one-month period starting on June [...]