Coupang will reorganize its top leadership so that it has two representative directors instead of the current four, the e-commerce platform said Wednesday. Two incumbent directors, Kang Han-seung and Park Dae-jun, will retain their posts, while the others will no longer hold the title. 　 Kim Bom-seok, the company’s chief executive and one of its outgoing directors, will serve as the chair of its board and will focus on establishing its strategic direction, Coupang said. The other outgo

Local convenience store chain GS25 is bringing instant vegan tteokbokki to its stores, the company said Monday. Tteokbokki is a popular Korean street food of rice cakes in chili sauces. 　 The products, under the name Veggie Garden, are 100 percent meatless, and have been certified vegan by the Korea Agency of Vegan Certification and Services, a non-profit organization that has been approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The company said the products have removed all possible conta

Rise of OB bear, Jinro toad explained

Retail sales in South Korea moved up 6.3 percent in November from a year earlier on the back of the nationwide consumption-boosting events aimed at overcoming the economic jitters from the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Wednesday. The combined sales of 26 major offline and online retailers reached 12.41 trillion won ($11.2 billion) last month, up from 11.68 trillion won a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The annual Korea Sale FESTA kic

Sales of Bibigo frozen dumplings have exceeded 1 trillion won this year, the company behind the brand said Tuesday. Bibigo owner CJ CheilJedang said sales of Bibigo dumplings stood at 1.03 trillion won ($930 million) in 2020, with 65 percent of the revenue coming from overseas. Bibigo’s sales of dumplings have shown steady growth in Korea and in other countries, and this year’s sales were double from that of 2017, when the combined sales in domestic and overseas markets was 506 b

US fashion brand Thom Browne said on Tuesday it will launch its perfume line in Korea. A total of six perfumes will be released, including “09.27.65 Eau de Parfum,” also known as Vetyver Absolute, and “09.27.65.01 Eau de Parfum,” which is also called the Vetyver and Cucumber. The fragrances contain a high concentration of Haitian Vetyver oil and its vetyver blend serves as the base signature of the products. The names reference designer Thom Browne’s birthday of

From Christmas cakes, tech gadgets to health supplements, businesses rush to seize on year-end gift season

A new survey has revealed that face masks, hand sanitizers and other personal protective equipment against the coronavirus are among the least-wanted gifts during this year’s Christmas. While the pandemic-safe gifts failed to drum up enthusiasm, cash and gift cards were the most wanted gifts, found the survey conducted by job reccrutiing portal Incruit. Though antivirus items remain crucial amid the ongoing pandemic, people are not looking forward to receiving them as gifts for the hol

Major brewers keep plugging beers with little to no alcohol. Are they worth trying?

Online retailer Coupang is holding a contest of consumer experience stories, with prize money of 25 million won ($23,000) in total. Coupang users with stories to share should submit their entry to its website or on its mobile platform by Dec. 27. The retailer is best known for its next-day Rocket Delivery service. “We prepared this event to communicate with and express our appreciation to the customers,” said the e-commerce giant in a statement. “While this is a tough tim

Ikea Korea’s labor union plans to launch a three-day strike next week, accusing the Swedish furniture brand of discriminatory treatment toward local staff. About 800 of the workers at the company’s outlets in Gwangmyeong, Goyang and Yongin in Gyeonggi Province and its service call centers will join the walkout from Dec. 24-27, said the union affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions on Thursday. That constitutes one-third of Ikea Korea’s 2,500 employees. &

Remote work and home entertainment devices have enjoyed a surge in sales in recent weeks as the coronavirus pandemic worsens, major online shopping platforms said on Thursday. According to Tmon, sales of work-from-home and entertainment electronic appliances saw a 270 percent year-on-year increase on average in the last two weeks. While sales of PCs were up 162 percent, desktop computers saw a 143 percent increase in sales. Laptops, webcams and graphic cards also enjoyed a sales bump as well a

Brands alter strategy as third wave of coronavirus kills on-premise sales

Major online retailers are banking on gift service during holiday season

‘One-stop’ drive-thru service to hit CU stores in Seoul this month