Retail sales up nearly 12 pct in Jan. on Lunar New Year holiday: data

SEOUL, Feb. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korean retailers saw their sales increase nearly 12 percent in January from a year earlier thanks to the extended Lunar New Year holiday, data showed Tuesday.

Last month, the combined revenue of major retail companies rose 11.7 percent from a year ago as the Lunar New Year Day fell in late January, earlier than in 2024, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

This year's Lunar New Year holiday ran from Jan. 25-30, while last year's holiday lasted for four days starting Feb. 9.

By platform, sales from the offline sector gained 8.8 percent on-year, and sales from the online sector climbed 14.6 percent.

In detail, offline sales of supermarkets posted the biggest growth of 16.1 percent, followed by department stores at 10.3 percent and convenience stores at 1.7 percent.

By item, food sales added 15.1 percent on-year in January, and revenue from popular foreign brands jumped 17.3 percent, while home appliance sales decreased 4.4 percent.

nyway@yna.co.kr
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