Business boost as shoppers try to beat wet, hot weather

Businesses are enjoying increased demand for rainy-season items such as rubber boots, umbrellas and dehumidifiers, since the nation entered the seasonal rainy spell last month.

Over the past month, E-Mart, South Korea’s largest retailer, saw a surge in sales of umbrellas and rubber boots of 125 percent and 107 percent, respectively. 

Lotte Mart, one of the biggest discount store chains, also had sales growth in umbrellas with 65 percent, raincoats with 20 percent and rubber boots with 12 percent this month, while Home Plus, another retailer chain, recorded a 78 percent increase in umbrella and raincoat sales.

Home Plus also saw a 40 percent rise in sales in dehumidifying items thanks to this year’s rainy season that arrived earlier than usual.

According to Hi-Mart, a local electronics retailer, sales of dehumidifiers, which started in 2005, have seen a steady increase in recent years.

After recording a 70 percent increase in sales last year, the company expected sales to grow further by up to three-fold this year.

“Dehumidifiers used to be sold better in coastal areas such as Jeju and Busan. But recently the sales in the metropolitan area including Seoul and Gyeonggi Province have been soaring,” said a company official.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)