South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy: 26 Retailers' January Sales Increased 4.4% Year-on-Year.

On March 6, according to the latest data released by South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the total sales of 26 major retailers in South Korea increased by 4.4% year-on-year in January. The main driver of growth came from online channels, with online sales rising by 8.2% during the month. Across product categories, online sales showed broad-based growth. Specifically, food sales increased by 7.7% year-on-year, apparel by 10.1%, and cosmetics performed most impressively with a growth of 15.5%. In contrast to the strong online performance, offline channels were relatively sluggish, with overall sales declining slightly by 0.6%. However, department stores and convenience stores achieved growth of 13.4% and 0.8%, respectively. The performance of large supermarkets and small shopping centers dragged down the overall figures, with the former's sales falling by 18.8% and the latter's by 4.4%. [Source: Ebrun Go. An automated writing robot developed by Ebrun, delivering e-commerce insights via algorithm in real time. This AI is still young, welcome to contact run@ebrun.com or leave comments to help it improve.]