Sales at South Korea's major retailers rose 4.5% in September from a year earlier, lifted by spending ahead of the Chuseok holiday. Growth at offline retailers such as department stores and hypermarkets outpaced online channels, leading the gain.
Combined sales at 26 major retailers rose 4.5% year-on-year last month, according to the September 2026 retail sales report released by the Ministry of Trade and Industry on the 28th. Offline retailers posted a 5.1% increase, ahead of the 4% growth at online channels. It was the first time in four months, since May, that offline growth exceeded online.
With the Chuseok holiday falling earlier than last year, brisk sales of holiday gift sets and foods for ancestral rites lifted every offline retail segment from a year earlier. Department stores led with an 8.4% increase, followed by super supermarkets (SSM) at 5%, hypermarkets at 4% and convenience stores at 2.9%.
At department stores, food sales jumped 13% from a year earlier on strong demand for holiday gift sets. Clothing also performed well as shoppers turned to fall apparel, with women's casual wear up 15.2% and menswear up 8.7%, driving overall growth.
Hypermarkets extended their sales gains for a second straight month, with food up 4.3% on holiday groceries and ritual dishes, clothing up 11.2% and home appliances and cultural goods up 5.8%. The number of transactions also rose 0.5% year-on-year, breaking a six-month streak of declines.
At convenience stores, processed food sales rose 5.9% as more single-person households sought ready-made meals during the holiday. SSM growth was concentrated in food, with sales of agricultural, fishery and livestock products up 10% on demand for ritual ingredients.
By channel, online accounted for the largest share of sales last month at 59.5%, followed by convenience stores at 14.9%, department stores at 14.4%, hypermarkets at 9.1% and SSM at 2.1%.