Sales at discount outlets drop in Sept.

SEOUL (Yonhap) - Sales at South Korea's major discount chains dropped from a year earlier last month, reflecting a worsening consumer sentiment in the wake of a possible global economic slowdown, the government said Monday.
Sales at the country's three major discount chains slipped 1.1 percent from the same period last year in September, according to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.
"Sales at large discount outlets dropped slightly, largely on worsening consumer sentiment due to a spread of global economic uncertainties and lower-than-anticipated sales during the Chuseok holiday (which fell on Sept. 12)," the ministry said in a press release.
The outlet chains are Lotte Mart, E-Mart and Homeplus.
Sales at the country's three major department store chains, on the other hand, surged 6.5 percent on-year in September, continuing their positive growth since February 2009.
Still, they were unable to fully enjoy the level of growth earlier anticipated due to same reasons faced by the outlet chains, the ministry said. The three department store chains are Lotte, Shinsegae and Hyundai.
The number of individual purchases at discount chains dropped 2.1 percent with that of department stores also slipping 1 percent from a year ago.
The growth at department stores was largely led by sales of luxury goods and athletic equipment, which rose 15.1 percent and 15 percent on-year, respectively.
Sales of foodstuffs at discount stores, which make up more than 56 percent of their total monthly sales, dropped 3.4 percent on-year largely on a drop in the number of people shopping there, the ministry said. Sales of foodstuffs at department stores also dwindled 3.1 percent.