Korea retail sales up 7% in April

However, offline sales fell 1.9%.

South Korea’s retail sales rose 7% year-on-year in April 2025, driven by a 15.8% jump in online sales, according to data released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE).

Offline sales fell 1.9% as consumer confidence weakened and more shoppers moved online. Hypermarkets and department stores dropped 3.1% and 2.9%, respectively.

Convenience store sales slipped 0.6%—marking their second fall this year—whilst super supermarkets (SSMs) edged up 0.2%

MOTIE’s data covers 23 major retailers, including 13 offline and 10 online operators.

Online sales continued to grow as delivery services expanded and more product categories became available.

Food sales rose 21.3%, and services such as food delivery, e-coupons, and travel packages surged 50.1%. Cosmetics grew 11.6%, but fashion sales dropped 8.6%.

Luxury goods were the only bright spot offline, rising 1.1%. Most other offline categories declined.