▲ Travelers from around the world crowd the Myeong-dong area in downtown Seoul on Oct. 6, 2026. (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- Lotte Department Store said Wednesday that its sales to foreign customers surpassed 1 trillion won this year, setting a new annual record for foreign customer sales in the domestic department store industry.

 

It is the first time that annual sales to foreign customers have exceeded 1 trillion won at a Korean department store.

 

◇ Tourism boom drives sales in Myeong-dong, Jamsil, Busan

 

Lotte Department Store said cumulative sales to foreign customers surpassed 1 trillion won as of Monday morning.

 

The figure had already exceeded last year's industry-high annual sales of 734.8 billion won in July, reaching the 1 trillion-won mark with three months still remaining in the year.

 

Stores in tourist hotspots such as Myeong-dong and Jamsil led Lotte Department Store's foreign customer sales.

 

Foreign customer sales at Lotte Town Myeong-dong reached 520 billion won this year. Sales to foreign customers at Lotte Town Jamsil also doubled from last year, with customers from North America and Europe accounting for 35 percent of the total.

 

As foreign tourists' interest has expanded beyond Seoul to regional destinations, Lotte Department Store's foreign customer sales outside the Seoul metropolitan area increased more than 2.5-fold from a year earlier.

 

In particular, foreign customer sales at Lotte Department Store stores in Busan jumped 150 percent year-on-year, while stores in the Honam region, including the Jeonju and Gwangju branches, recorded 100 percent growth.

 

While foreign tourists' department store spending in the past was concentrated on luxury goods and cosmetics, their purchases have recently expanded to K-fashion and beauty products, food and lifestyle goods, the company said.

 

An analysis of Lotte Department Store's foreign customer sales this year showed that luxury goods sales more than doubled from a year earlier, while sales related to K-fashion also doubled.

 

As more foreign customers visit department store food halls and restaurants amid growing interest in K-food, foreign customer sales at food halls and restaurants increased 50 percent from a year earlier.

 

"Opening the era of 1 trillion won in foreign customer sales for the first time in the department store industry is a meaningful milestone," Lotte Department Store CEO Jung Hyun-suk said. "We will continue to anticipate the needs of global customers and strengthen differentiated shopping experiences and content to grow into Korea's leading global department store."

 

◇ Shinsegae, Hyundai also in 800 billion-won range

 

The increase in foreign customer sales is continuing at other department stores, raising expectations that all three major department store operators will surpass 1 trillion won in foreign customer sales this year.

 

Shinsegae Department Store said its foreign customer sales from January through September reached 850 billion won, more than double the figure from the same period last year, and are expected to exceed 1 trillion won for the full year.

 

At Shinsegae's main branch, which is popular among foreign tourists, one in three visitors is a foreign customer. Foreign customer sales at Shinsegae Centum City in Busan also more than doubled from a year earlier.

 

Hyundai Department Store said its cumulative foreign customer sales had reached 805 billion won as of Sunday and are also expected to surpass 1 trillion won within the year.

 

At The Hyundai Seoul, a popular destination for foreign tourists, foreign customer sales rose 135 percent from a year earlier, while one in four visitors was a foreign customer, the company said.

 

However, the three department store operators use different criteria when calculating foreign customer sales. Lotte Department Store includes sales from outlets and shopping malls, while Shinsegae Department Store counts only department store sales and Hyundai Department Store includes department stores and outlets.

 

Industry officials expect foreign tourists' department store spending to remain strong for the time being amid the growing number of visitors to Korea and rising interest in K-content. The retailers are also expanding shopping services and content targeting foreign customers.

 

Lotte Department Store plans to introduce online pre-registration for its foreigner-only "Lotte Tourist Membership" and expand benefits for foreign customers from Seoul and Busan to stores in regional cities including Daegu, Daejeon, Jeonju and Pohang.

 

Shinsegae Department Store is holding the "Shinsegae Global Shopping Festa" for foreign customers through Wednesday at its main branch, Gangnam branch, Centum City branch and Times Square branch. A total of 120 fashion, beauty and K-food brands are participating, offering brand promotions, gift certificates, shopping vouchers and tax refunds.

 

Hyundai Department Store added a voice translation function in June to its AI shopping assistant "Heydi Global," launched last year, allowing real-time translation of conversations between customers and employees.

 

jwc@yna.co.kr

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