Starbucks shuts down stores in Daegu area

Starbucks Korea said Monday it will temporarily close 39 stores among the 74 in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province region, hit the hardest by the coronavirus outbreak. According to the coffee chain, 39 stores will be closed from Monday to March 22 to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Nine will extend the closures since-February. Only 35 drive-thru stores in the region will operate normally and the company will conduct disinfection regularly, it added. The company plans to introduce social di

March 9, 2020

[Monitor] Online sales of masks up, cosmetics down

The coronavirus spread has impacted online transactions since January, with the sales of masks surging while purchases of cosmetics dropped, data by Statistics Korea showed. Weather also played a part, with the warmer temperatures discouraging people from buying clothing. The shorter delivery days due to the Lunar New Year holiday also affecting the growth in online transactions. Upon the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea as of Jan. 20, purchases of masks surged 57 percent from a year ago, and

March 5, 2020

HiteJinro rehires singer-actor IU as Chamisul model

South Korean liquor maker HiteJinro said Wednesday that it had once again chosen singer-actor IU as its model for prominent soju brand Chamisul. IU previously modeled for Chamisul for four years, from 2014 to 2018. “IU is popular and has considerable stature as a singer and actor, and her unique ‘clean’ image (presented as a TV personality), goes along well with the brand,” HiteJinro said. The brand’s IU ads differed from the industry norm when she was first c

March 4, 2020

McDonald’s Korea donates burger sets for firefighters in virus-hit Daegu

McDonald’s Korea said Tuesday it donated 4,200 burger sets to firefighters in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, as the region struggles in handling COVID-19. According to the company, it delivered 4,200 coupons that can trade for 1955 Burger set menu to Daegu Fire Department and Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters on Monday. With the number of patients increasing in the region that is hit hardest by the epidemic in South Korea, firefighters have been taking the role to transport the

March 3, 2020

Department stores, malls shut down temporarily due to new coronavirus

With the COVID-19 virus spreading across the country, department stores and malls are temporarily shutting down branches that confirmed patients are found to have visited. On Friday, Shinsegae Department Store closed its Gangnam branch in Seoul, when one of the employees of its partner company was confirmed to be infected by the new coronavirus. According to the department store, the employee had been off duty for personal reasons since Monday, and then went into self-quarantine on Thursday

Feb. 28, 2020

Smudge-proof makeup gains popularity amid virus outbreak

With the coronavirus outbreak prompting many to wear face masks, demand for smudge-proof makeup has soared, according to Lalavla on Friday. According to the health and beauty chain operated by GS Retail, sales of lip-stain products, face powder and makeup fixers rose 91 percent, 89 percent and 74 percent, respectively, in the period from Feb. 1 to Wednesday compared with the same period the previous year. Sales of products related to a healthy diet also went up 96 percent in the same period

Feb. 28, 2020

Bidding for Incheon airport duty-free store licenses falls through

The license bidding for duty-free stores at Incheon International Airport fell through due to a lack of tenders, the airport operator said Thursday. The biddings to run a section for perfume and cosmetics and another for apparel in the airport's first passenger terminal failed, according to Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC). Located west of Seoul, the Incheon airport is South Korea's main gateway. IIAC opened the bidding for five sections at the airport, as the contracts of the c

Feb. 27, 2020

Hanwha Galleria to open Galleria Gwanggyo in Suwon

Hanwha Galleria said Thursday it will open Galleria Gwanggyo in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Monday, making it the first new department store to open in 10 years and the biggest among the five franchises it operates. According to the company, the store will be located in the Suwon Gwanggyo Convention Complex area, and it will present the best lineup of luxury brands in the Gyeonggi Province area. Galleria Gwanggyo will be the biggest department store for the company, with its building takin

Feb. 27, 2020

[Photo News] Starbucks Korea to releases March 1 edition goods

Starbucks Korea will roll out a new set of goods -- a mug, tumbler and card -- designed with mugunghwa, or hibiscus, to celebrate the March 1st Independence Movement Day, the company said on Thursday. The company said it will donate 100 million won ($82,200) from the profit made to the descendants of independence fighters. (herim@heraldcorp.com)

Feb. 27, 2020

KT&G signs $1.8b deal with UAE consumer giant

KT&G said Thursday it signed a 2.2 trillion won ($1.8 billion) contract with Dubai-based consumer giant Alokozay for a period of seven years and four months. This is the South Korean tobacco company’s second global collaboration this year following the supply deal signed with Philip Morris International on Jan. 29 to export the firm’s e-cigarettes globally for the next three years. KT&G said through the deal, it “cleared uncertainties in major overseas markets,

Feb. 27, 2020

HiteJinro ups promotion of soju on overseas US military bases

Korean liquor maker HiteJinro will strengthen its promotion of soju to American soldiers, as sales of its spirits products exhibit continuous growth at exchange stores inside the confines of overseas US military bases, the company said Monday. The company said it will run a six-month marketing campaign of its soju products, including Chamisul, under the slogan, “Drink soju! Responsible Drinking!” starting this month, partnering with Stars and Stripes, a US military independent news

Feb. 17, 2020

Lotteria rolls out first veggie burger from burger chain in South Korea

Lotteria, retail giant Lotte’s fast-food chain, rolled out its “Miracle Burger,” the first veggie burger from a burger chain in South Korea, Thursday. According to the burger chain, the new burger, introduced under the slogan “Not beef, but veef,” features a plant-based patty with a meat-like texture that comes from a combination of proteins from wheat and beans. The company said it used soybeans instead of eggs for the taste of the Korean-style barbecue rib sa

Feb. 13, 2020

Ikea Korea opens 4th store in Busan

Ikea Korea said Tuesday it will open its fourth store in South Korea in Busan on Thursday, marking the first store outside Seoul and the surrounding region. According to the company, Ikea DongBusan, located at Gijang-gun, will feature showrooms, the Ikea Restaurant and Bistro, and Smaland, a play area for kids, across 42,316 square meters, with one basement floor and four floors above ground. Under the vision of creating a “better everyday life,” Ikea DongBusan aims to reach peopl

Feb. 11, 2020

[Newsmaker] Nongshim ups promotion of ‘ram-don’ from ‘Parasite’

In light of Korean filmmaker Bong joon-ho’s historical victory at the Oscars with his film “Parasite,” the Korean manufacturer of instant noodles featured in the film is riding high on the bandwagon. Jjapaguri -- translated as “ram-don” in the English subtitles -- is a mixture of Chapaghetti black bean instant noodles and soup-based Neoguri ramen. Having aroused the curiosity of cinemagoers around the world, the recipe quickly spread via social media, with Bong&rs

Feb. 11, 2020

New coronavirus fuels 1,236% jump in overseas purchases of masks, hand sanitizers

Since the outbreak of the new coronavirus, more and more South Koreans are shopping online for protective items from overseas sites. According to the Korean branch of the international shopping support site Malltail, orders for sanitary products from overseas sites jumped 1,236 percent in the period between Jan. 20 to Thursday, compared with the same period last year. The most popular item was hand sanitizer, with sales surging 6,243 percent during the cited period. Face masks and hand soap

Feb. 11, 2020

Lotte Department Store's main outlet in Seoul to close temporarily over coronavirus fears

Lotte Department Store, one of the country's major department store chain operators, said Friday that one of its outlets in downtown Seoul will be temporarily closed starting late Friday for a cleanup following a recent visit there by a patient diagnosed with the new coronavirus. The store in the downtown Myeongdong area, the most bustling shopping district, will be shut down for sterilization, it said. The move follows confirmation that a female Chinese tourist from China's Wuhan, the epicen

Feb. 7, 2020

Orion records highest operating profit of W327b in 2019

Korean confectionary firm Orion said Wednesday it recorded operating profit of 327.3 billion won ($275.9 million) in 2019, marking the highest figure in company history. According to the company, it saw its net profit increase 54.1 percent on-year to post 220.3 billion won, and its annual revenue hit 2.02 trillion won, up 5 percent from the year before. The company’s operating profit in the fourth quarter last year was 97.8 billion won, up 39.2 percent in the same period on-year, and t

Feb. 5, 2020

Call me ‘Bae Ha-jun’: OB CEO from Belgium gets Korean name

Ben Verhaert, CEO of the South Korea-based Oriental Brewery, has chosen a new Korean name to foster friendly communication with his Korean employees and customers, the company said Wednesday. The Belgian national now goes by Bae Ha-jun. The CEO took up his current post in November last year. Belgian brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev acquired OB in 2014. The name Ha-jun consists of the Chinese characters “ha,” referring to water, and “jun,” meaning height, the company

Feb. 5, 2020

Coupang CEO freezes price of masks amid coronavirus outbreak

The outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus has led to controversy about whether it is right for face mask manufacturers to raise the prices of their highly sought-after products. While overall prices of such masks appear to be on the rise, the CEO of Coupang said the South Korean e-commerce firm will freeze the prices of face masks being sold on its platform. “Although the market price of masks rose as demand increased, we have frozen our prices for retail masks,” Coupang CEO Kim Bom-

Feb. 3, 2020

Amorepacific partners with top Indonesian retailer, expands presence in region

Korea’s top cosmetics maker Amorepacific Group said Monday it confirmed a business partnership with PT Mitra Adiperkasa (MAP), a leading retailer in Indonesia, strengthening its position as global beauty brand in the region. According to the company, Amorepacific President Bae Dong-hyun and MAP Group CEO Virendra Sharma inked the agreement at the MAP headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Wednesday. Under the partnership, Amorepacific will present its cosmetics brands, Sulwhasoo, Lanei

Feb. 3, 2020