Card spending made during a massive nationwide annual shopping festival earlier this month rose 6.3 percent from a year earlier, the trade ministry said Friday, amid the new coronavirus outbreak. Card spending amounted to 37.4 trillion won ($33.5 billion) in the Nov. 1-15 period, when the country held the annual Korea Sale FESTA, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The shopping festival involving major retailers, manufacturers and traditional markets drew a total of 1,784

Starbucks Coffee Korea said Thursday it would start a test-run for coffee deliveries next week, and open a new delivery-only outlet. According to the coffee chain, it will open Yeoksam E-mart branch in Gangnam, Seoul on Nov. 27, where the coffeemaker will take only delivery orders made from the company’s mobile app. The 100-square-meter store will act as the space for employees to make drinks and prepare food, and for storing merchandize, Starbucks said. It will also have space for de

South Korean cosmetics giant Amorepacific said Tuesday it would invest 3 billion won ($2.7 million) in Dmil, a multi-channel network company. According to Amorepacific, Dmil is a media contents firm, producing and selling cosmetics-related content and items, partnering with 250 content creators, including YouTubers Jella, Woorin and Chaeyoung. “From this investment, Amorepacific Group will establish a close partnership with beauty influencer-made contents and in commerce,” Lee Yo

E-commerce giant Coupang was the third-largest business in South Korea in terms of staff as of the third quarter of this year, following Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor, a market research firm said Tuesday. The report released by CEOScore showed that Coupang hired a total of 43,171 employees as of late September, rising from the fourth-biggest employer position to the third. The report was based on data from the number of subscribers to the National Pension Service. Coupang’s ris

Amazon is partnering with Korean e-commerce platform 11st to avail purchase of its goods to Korean customers, 11st operator SK Telecom said Monday. According to SKT, which is SK Group’s mobile carrier that operates online shopping platform 11st, the two made an agreement for Amazon’s equity participation in 11st. Amazon is reportedly expected to purchase up to 30 percent of 11st’s company shares. Depending on 11st’s performance, which includes the company’s plan

Alibaba’s Singles Day sales over the past 12 years

South Korean cosmetics giant Amorepacific announced the appointment of Kim Seung-Hwan as its new president on Thursday, in a major post-COVID-19 shakeup following lackluster sales this year. Kim, 51, previously served multiple roles including as head of the human resources unit. He will replace Bae Dong-hyun as the group’s president from next year. The age gap between Kim and Bae has been seen as a move to bring younger blood into power as the company struggles to fend off competition b

E-commerce platform Cafe24 will host a joint webinar with Japanese online fashion store Shoplist on how South Korean fashion businesses can branch out into Japan’s online fashion market. The event, scheduled for Nov. 18, will see Kazuya Santo, head of global business at Shoplist, touch on K-fashion trends and how businesses can strategize to succeed. Jaesuk Lee, CEO of Cafe24, promised similar events in the future and said growing interest in K-fashion continues to fuel global demand.

US cosmetics giant Estee Lauder has apologized after unilaterally shipping a darker shade of foundation to Asian customers, but their decision to single out women in their apology is drawing yet another round of criticism. The company came under fire earlier this week after a viral online review revealed that a matte foundation product ordered online arrived in a different shade with a note explaining that Ivory Nude was the “best color for Asians” while Shell, which the customer h

E-commerce giant Coupang has recently opened a counseling center for its female delivery staff members as part of efforts to create a healthy work environment, the company said. The center will conduct various activities designed to resolve obstacles at work and provide consultation which can be scheduled by phone or on its website. For those who find an in-person visit difficult, phone or text consultations are also available. As of November, Coupang had about 400 female delivery staffs and t

Liqueur brand Kahlua will roll out new coffee cocktails at nine cafes across Seoul on Monday as part of its new “Coffee Goes Cocktails” campaign. Cafes 1984 in Mapo and BNHR in Yongsan are among the establishments where a special Kahlua-based cocktail representing each of their baristas will be sold, Pernod Ricard Korea said Thursday. “With Kahlua expanding its presence as the leading coffee liquor brand, we launched the event to take the lead in spreading coffee cocktail cul

eBay Korea is adding a series of promotional events and special deals as part of its annual shopping event Big Smile Day -- including a cinema rental. From Thursday to Sunday, the promotional event dubbed “Smile Club Lounge” is going online to offline for members of Smile Club -- a premium membership service launched in 2017 that provides exclusive deals, discounts and specialized customer services that have helped the e-commerce giant secure a large number of loyal customers. Smi

SPC Group said Thursday it opened Passion 5 Terrace, a bakery restaurant brand inside the Passion 5 building in Hannam district in Seoul. Passion 5 is the group’s flagship premium bakery brand. The newly opening Passion 5 Terrace will be dedicated to the company‘s origin, bread, and will run under the slogan, “Made from origin, Baked with Passion,” the company said. The Passion 5 Terrace has installed a stone milling system and has been designed so that customers can

Homelus, a hypermart chain, said Thursday it was starting open recruitment for its supermarket brand, Homeplus Express, a first in three years since 2017, after the company was acquired by MBK Partners, a private equity firm. With the recruitment, Homeplus said it seeks to strengthen its supermarket business, which shows consistent growth while the offline retail industry is struggling overall, and also to provide job opportunities to college graduates seeking jobs amid the pandemic. The re

Nongshim, a South Korean food company, said Wednesday that it expects record-high overseas sales of $990 million this year with its flagship instant noodle brand Shin Ramyun. According to Nongshim, the overseas sales forecast is up about 24 percent on-year, as the demand for instant noodles jumped across the world in the wake of COVID-19. By year-end, sales of Shin Ramyun will reach about $390 million, Nongshim said. Shin Ramyun has been chosen as one of the world’s best instant noodl