January Retail Sales Up 4.4%... Online Up 8.2%, Hypermarkets Plunge 18.8%

Offline Sales Down 0.6% as Lunar New Year Shifts to February
Department Stores and Convenience Stores Log 7 Straight Months of Growth

Retail sales in January rose 4.4% year-on-year. Online sales continued to drive overall performance with growth of more than 8%, but offline sales fell slightly due to the shift in the Lunar New Year holiday period, making the contrast between retail formats clear.

According to the report "Trends in Sales at Major Retailers in January 2026" released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the 25th, total sales at 26 major on- and offline retailers increased 4.4% compared with the same month a year earlier. Offline sales fell 0.6%, whereas online sales grew 8.2%.

By offline format, department stores and convenience stores performed relatively well. Department store sales increased 13.4%, maintaining double-digit growth, and convenience store sales also rose 0.8%. Both formats have now recorded growth for seven consecutive months since July last year. In contrast, sales at hypermarkets declined 18.8%, and sales at supermarkets (SSM, Super Super Markets) fell 4.4%.

The ministry pointed to the timing difference of the Lunar New Year holiday as a major factor. Last year, Lunar New Year fell on January 29, but this year it shifted to February 17, meaning that the holiday-driven demand for gift sets and ritual foods was not reflected in January results. Hypermarkets and SSMs, where food accounts for a high proportion of sales, were hit particularly hard.

In fact, at hypermarkets, the number of purchases in January decreased 10.7%, and the average spending per customer fell 9.1%. Sales per store also dropped 15.7%. The average spending per customer at hypermarkets in January was 55,087 won, down from 60,622 won a year earlier, and sales per store came to 4.75 billion won.

Department stores, on the other hand, saw strong growth in sales of fashion and apparel and global luxury brands. In January, department store sales per store were 61.11 billion won, up 17.4% year-on-year. Average spending per customer also inched up to 142,045 won.

Online sales have continued to grow steadily since statistics began to be compiled. In January, all categories posted balanced growth, including home appliances and electronics (10.5%), books and stationery (9.6%), fashion and apparel (10.1%), sports (8.8%), cosmetics (15.5%), children and infants (8.9%), food (7.7%), and household goods and furniture (9.6%). Cosmetics in particular recorded a high growth rate of more than 15%.

Looking at the sales mix, online accounted for the largest share at 58.7%, followed by department stores at 16.8%, convenience stores at 12.7%, hypermarkets at 9.7%, and SSMs at 2.1%. Compared with last year’s annual shares, the proportion of department stores increased by 2.6 percentage points, while online’s share edged down by 0.3 percentage point.

The ministry stated, "Online channels showed steady growth across all product categories, while offline channels displayed differences by format due to seasonal factors such as the shift in the holiday period," adding, "The future consumption trend will become clearer once the February results are available."