Stores’ sales boom during Chinese golden week

Local retailers from duty-free shops to convenience stores enjoyed a sales boom during the Chinese golden week of Oct. 1-7, industry sources said Sunday.

According to Lotte Department Store, transactions paid with China’s Union Pay credit card jumped 242.6 percent at all its stores last week compared to a year earlier.

Largely driven by the K-pop sensation in China, Chinese customers spent big on fashion and beauty items, the nation’s largest retail chain said.

Obzee and O’2nd, both women’s clothing brands owned by SK Networks, ranked first in sales at women’s apparel and young casual categories between Sept. 1 and Oct. 6.

Lotte explained the surge in Chinese customers may have raised sales of the brands that stood at fifth and third in the same period last year.

The sales of fur and cosmetic products also soared 179.2 percent due to growing popularity among Chinese customers, Lotte said.

Luxury brands, whose sales have continued to increase in recent years, recorded relatively weaker growth of 28 percent compared to local Korean brands.

“In case of shops with higher Chinese sales, the shop managers are good at serving Chinese customers considering their tastes. They try hard to maintain regular customers from China as well as Koreans,” said a Lotte official.

Other than popular shopping spots such as duty-free shops and department stores, supermarket chains and convenience stores also benefited from the Chinese rush last week.

Family Mart, the nation’s largest convenience store chain, said the number of Chinese customers at its 50 stores in central Seoul had almost doubled compared to a month ago.

The sales through Union Pay card also increased 145 percent during the same period, said the mart chain.

Among Chinese customers, coffee products were the most popular food item with 273 percent growth in monthly sales, followed by Banana-flavored milk and Nongshim’s Shin Ramen.

The Lotte Mart store located at Seoul Station, another hot shopping spot for tourists, also saw a 40 percent rise in foreign customers and a 60 percent surge in sales.

Lotte Mart said that sales of popular snacks such as Choco-Pies almost doubled, while cheaper cosmetics brands such as Skin Food and The Faceshop recorded a 40 percent surge in sales. 

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