▲ Foreign tourists visit Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul on May 13, 2026. (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, June 24 (Yonhap) -- Sales at South Korea's major department stores continued to post double-digit growth for a fifth consecutive month in May, driven by strong luxury goods demand and spending by foreign visitors, government data showed Wednesday.

 

Combined sales at 26 major retailers rose 9.0 percent from a year earlier in May, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

 

Sales at offline and online retailers increased 9.3 percent and 8.8 percent, respectively.

 

Among offline retail channels, department stores and convenience stores saw sales rise 24.5 percent and 5.9 percent, respectively, while hypermarkets and super supermarkets posted declines of 5.1 percent and 8.0 percent.

 

Department stores and convenience stores have maintained sales growth for 11 consecutive months since July last year. Department stores, in particular, extended their double-digit growth streak to five straight months.

 

Industry officials attributed the strong performance to increased spending by foreign tourists and robust sales of luxury goods.

 

Sales of luxury brands surged 37.3 percent from a year earlier. The prolonged weakness of the Korean won is believed to have enhanced South Korea's appeal as a relatively affordable destination for luxury shopping.

 

Online retailers also maintained steady growth, led by demand for home appliances, children's products, food and services, supported by improving consumer sentiment, Family Month promotions and solid food sales.

 

By sales share, online retailers accounted for 58.6 percent of total retail sales in May, followed by department stores at 16.7 percent, convenience stores at 14.8 percent, hypermarkets at 8.1 percent and super supermarkets at 1.8 percent.

 

The ministry compiles and releases monthly sales data from 15 offline retailers, including department stores operated by Lotte, Hyundai and Shinsegae; hypermarkets run by E-Mart, Homeplus, Lotte Mart and NongHyup Hanaro Mart; convenience store chains GS25, CU, 7-Eleven and Emart24; and super supermarkets such as Emart Everyday, Lotte Super, GS The Fresh and Homeplus Express.

 

The monthly report also covers 11 online retailers, including SSG.com, Coupang, 11st and Naver.

 

 jwc@yna.co.kr

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