Sales at South Korean duty-free stores nearly halved in February from a month earlier, hit hard by the spread of the new coronavirus, industry data showed Friday. Combined sales of local duty-free shops came to 1.1 trillion won ($910 million) last month, down 45.5 percent from January, according to the data from the Korea Duty Free Shops Association. The number of visitors plunged 54 percent on-month to 1.75 million in February, with foreigners accounting for 40 percent of the total. Sales of

Sales of liquor products jump in convenience stores, hangover cures sell less

E-commerce giant Coupang said Wednesday it will install Automotive Around View Monitoring system in all its vehicles to aid its delivery staff. The monitoring system allows the driver to get a 360-degree exterior view on the screen, using four cameras mounted underneath the outside mirrors. According to the company, it will complete installing the system in all vehicles before July. It is the first company in the logistics industry to introduce the technology for delivery workers, the compan

Pulmuone said Tuesday that its annual sales of Asian noodles in the US reached $30 million in 2019, a sixfold increase in the last four years. The Korean fresh food company, which leads the US tofu market, entered the Asian noodle market in the US in 2015 with premium fresh noodle products, posting annual sales of $5 million in the first year. Led by the solid performance of Black Bean Sauce Noodles and Teriyaki Stir-fry Udon distributed in Costco stores, sales continued to rise, and in 2019

McDonald’s Korea said Monday it will provide free burgers and pies to volunteers and those vulnerable in Seoul’s Guro-gu, where a cluster infection of COVID-19 recently emerged from a call center. According to the burger chain, it will deliver 2,000 McChicken sandwiches and 2,000 pie products, including corn and apple pies, via the Community Chest of Korea to Guro. The food will be offered to the district disinfection volunteers and 44 community centers, including dwelling faciliti

Shinsegae Department Store said Monday it is introducing three types of shopping carts from Tuesday. According to the retail giant, the three carts each have different features. One is designed for safekeeping bags. Another has a baby seat. The last type caters to small purchases. The cart with a space to store purses is covered with water-proof fabric to prevent shoppers’ designer bags from getting scratched, Shinsegae said. Shinsegae explained that customers had often held onto th

In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak across South Korea, more people appear to be buying cleaning appliances as hygiene concerns rise, according to the retail industry Sunday. According to figures released by the country’s largest retail chain E-mart, dryers and garment care appliances saw sales go up by 26.6 percent and 38.5 percent, respectively, from Jan. 20 to Thursday, compared to the year earlier. Jan. 20 is the day the first COVID-19 patient was confirmed in Korea. Fabric care

Starbucks Korea said Monday it will expand its free coffee delivery it started in mid-February for workers at the disease control center hotline 1339 to the end of this month. According to the coffee chain, it has been providing 500 cups of coffee every day since Feb. 17 to three 1339 call centers, two operated by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul and Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, and one operated in cooperation by National Health Insurance Service. O

Korean manufacturers, service providers seek direct rapport with consumers for data and brand awareness against spoon-feeding distribution by platform giants

As retail businesses are seeing a boost in their sales online amid the COVID-19 outbreak, high-end department stores and outlets have also hopped on the bandwagon, according to the industry on Wednesday. WeMakePrice, a South Korean e-commerce platform operator, said the combined sales of department stores and outlets it hosts spiked in the period from Feb. 1 to 28 by 316 percent from a year earlier. While department stores and premium outlets are widely seen to be more dependent on physical

Starbucks Korea said Monday it will temporarily close 39 stores among the 74 in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province region, hit the hardest by the coronavirus outbreak. According to the coffee chain, 39 stores will be closed from Monday to March 22 to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Nine will extend the closures since-February. Only 35 drive-thru stores in the region will operate normally and the company will conduct disinfection regularly, it added. The company plans to introduce social di

The coronavirus spread has impacted online transactions since January, with the sales of masks surging while purchases of cosmetics dropped, data by Statistics Korea showed. Weather also played a part, with the warmer temperatures discouraging people from buying clothing. The shorter delivery days due to the Lunar New Year holiday also affecting the growth in online transactions. Upon the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea as of Jan. 20, purchases of masks surged 57 percent from a year ago, and

Health Ministry delays law to stop celebrities from promoting alcohol

McDonald’s Korea said Tuesday it donated 4,200 burger sets to firefighters in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, as the region struggles in handling COVID-19. According to the company, it delivered 4,200 coupons that can trade for 1955 Burger set menu to Daegu Fire Department and Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters on Monday. With the number of patients increasing in the region that is hit hardest by the epidemic in South Korea, firefighters have been taking the role to transport the

With the COVID-19 virus spreading across the country, department stores and malls are temporarily shutting down branches that confirmed patients are found to have visited. On Friday, Shinsegae Department Store closed its Gangnam branch in Seoul, when one of the employees of its partner company was confirmed to be infected by the new coronavirus. According to the department store, the employee had been off duty for personal reasons since Monday, and then went into self-quarantine on Thursday