Lunar New Year boost pushes South Korea’s offline sales up 14.1%

Hypermarkets and department stores led growth.

Total sales at 26 major retailers in South Korea rose 7.9%% year-on-year in February 2026, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) said.

Offline sales jumped 14.1%, whilst online sales increased 3.9 percent.

Offline growth was fuelled by strong performances at hypermarkets, department stores, and convenience stores during the Lunar New Year holiday season.

Hypermarkets recorded a 15.1% increase, department stores soared 25.6 percent, and convenience stores grew 4%. Super supermarkets (SSMs), however, saw a slight decline of 0.4%.

This marks the first monthly growth for hypermarkets in four months since October 2025, following the Chuseok holiday surge.

Department stores and convenience stores extended their growth streaks to eight consecutive months starting from July 2025, whilst SSMs experienced a third straight month of decline.

Breaking down the figures, hypermarket food sales surged 18.8%, driven by demand for holiday gift sets and seasonal food items.

Department store sales rose across all categories, including food (up 65%), women’s casual wear (up 25.1%), and premium international brands (up 22.6%), reflecting improved consumer sentiment.

Convenience stores continued to see gains, led by processed foods such as beverages, snacks, and desserts (up 8.1%). SSMs fell primarily due to weaker non-food sales, which dropped 2%.

Online retail sales also increased, led by strong demand for food (up 17.4%) and cosmetics (up 7.4%). Conversely, sales of home appliances and electronics fell 4.6 percent, and fashion/apparel dropped 3.7 percent.

Channel sales share in February 2026 was dominated by online retailers at 58.5%, followed by department stores at 15.9%, convenience stores at 1.%, hypermarkets at 10.5%, and SSMs at 2%.