Kimchi retail

Private equity Red flags raised even before Homeplus crisis: Sales fall, credit ratings cut

Even before South Korea’s second-largest hypermarket chain Homeplus Co. was put under court receivership due to its worsening financial woes, ...

Debt financing MBK chairman to leverage own funds to pay Homeplus suppliers

Michael ByungJu Kim, the co-founder, partner and chairman of Northeast Asia-focused private equity firm (PEF) MBK Partners Ltd., is expected to leve...

Beauty & Cosmetics K-beauty shake-up: APR, Shinsegae rise as Aekyung declines

South Korea’s beauty industry is undergoing a major reshuffle, with new players rising to prominence while established giants face growing com...

Foreign exchange Seoul to lift curbs on banks' investment in kimchi bonds

South Korea will lift restrictions on banks' purchase of domestically issued foreign currency bonds, dubbed “kimchi bonds," as part of policy ...

Alternative investments Korea Investment & Securities explores new products with global firms

Korea Investment & Securities Co. (KIS), a unit of Korea Investment Holdings Inc., is exploring new global investment products tailored for Sout...

Private equity MBK-owned Homeplus files for corporate revamp with Seoul court

South Korea’s leading hypermarket operator Homeplus Co., wholly owned by North Asia-focused private equity firm MBK Partners, on Tuesday filed...

Economy S.Korea’s factory output dips in January; Retail sales, investment slow

South Korea’s factory production decreased in the first month of this year due to a manufacturing slowdown, while private consumption and busi...

Corporate bonds S.Korea’s corporate bond market cools amid poor earnings

Investors’ appetite for corporate debts sold by South Korea’s petrochemical, retail and battery companies has waned this month amid grim...

Commodities FOMO-driven gold rush lifts kimchi premium on gold to highest level

With South Korean retail investors joining the global gold rush in ‘fear of missing out’, or FOMO, the country’s gold price has ...

Beauty & Cosmetics Korea’s beauty retailer CJ Olive Young to open first US offline outlet

CJ Olive Young Corp., South Korea’s top beauty store chain, said on Tuesday it has set up a US business entity in Los Angeles to enhance its p...

Mergers & Acquisitions KL & Partners buys cosmetics brand Manyo Factory for $130 mn

KL & Partners, a South Korean private equity firm, has agreed to buy Kosdaq-listed cosmetics company Manyo Factory Co., which has been building ...

Retail E-Land manages New Balance’s record $689 mn in Korean sales

South Korea’s retail giant E-Land Group has achieved 1 trillion won ($689 million) in Korean sales of the global sports footwear and apparel b...

Korean food Daesang launches kimchi brand with three-Michelin-star chef

South Korean leading food maker Daesang Corp., the operator of kimchi brand Jongga, said on Thursday it launched San Ho Won with three-Michelin-star...

Retail Quick delivery war deepens Korean big-box retailer-Baemin ties

As competition for same-day delivery heats up in South Korea, traditional big-box retailers are rushing to join hands with the country’s No. 1...

Retail E-Land sets sights on Vietnam as its next China, to open 10 outlets by 2025

South Korea’s retail giant E-Land Group has set its sights on Vietnam as its next target market after China, planning to open 10 outlets there...

Korean stock market S.Korean retail investors rush to buy Indian stocks on dips

South Korea's mom-and-pop investors have upped their stake in Indian stocks, hoping that Donald Trump's return to the White House will boost the Sou...

Retail GS Retail selects six startups to innovate retail biz

South Korea's GS Retail said on Friday it selected six startups—Studio Lab, Tilda, Oasis Business, YesPlzAI, Vessl AI, and Raondata—th...

Markets Indian stock market gears up for leap: NSE CEO  

India’s stock market is gearing up for a leap thanks to an influx of retail investors seeking better returns and the lower barriers for small ...

Korean food S.Korea's Daesang holds kimchi contest in US

South Korea's Daesang Corp. said on Monday it hosted the "Jongga Kimchi Blast" event in the US to promote kimchi and elevate Korean food culture.&...

Korean food S.Korea’s premium kimchi war escalated by luxury hotels

Kimchi, Koreans’ staple food throughout millennia, has become a new, lucrative revenue source for the country’s luxury hotel chain opera...

Corporate strategy Lotte Shopping to set up Singapore holding firm, eyes its IPO

Lotte Shopping Co., South Korea’s leading retail company, will transform its special purpose company (SPC) in Singapore into a holding firm to...

Asset management Mirae Asset India surpasses 2 million retail client accounts

Mirae Asset Securities Co. said on Thursday that the number of retail client accounts in its India operations has crossed the 2 million mark.This ma...

Retail CU, GS25 in fierce race for top spot in Korea’s convenience store market

Using multiple measures, CU and GS25 both claim they are the No. 1 player in South Korea’s convenience store (CV) market.CU, operated by BGF R...

E-commerce Loss-making Gmarket joins Shinsegae’s job cut spree

Gmarket Inc. will cut jobs for the first time since it was acquired by South Korea’s retail giant Shinsegae Group in 2021, joining the group&r...

Fashion Shinsegae International launches Harley-Davidson Collections

South Korea's Shinsegae International Co. launched a brand called Harley-Davidson Collections on Friday, blending Harley-Davidson’s motorcycle...

Banking & Finance Korean banks post significant H1 profit drop at overseas operations

South Korea’s top four banks saw a significant drop in their overseas earnings in the first half as they focused more on domestic businesses s...

Korean food Pulmuone to boost K-food boom in China with gimbap

Leading South Korean food company Pulmuone Corp. is poised to crank up the K-food craze in China, the world’s second most populous country, wi...

Automobiles Hyundai, Kia post record August US sales, driven by hybrids, EVs

South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. and its sister firm Kia Corp. saw their US vehicle sales in August rise to all-time highs, driven by eco-frien...

Logistics Korean retailers ramp up fulfillment centers to hold AliExpress in check

South Korea’s leading retailers, including Coupang Inc., are ramping up their logistics capacities to counter aggressive forays into the count...

Retail S.Korean travel retailers face downturn without Chinese big spenders

Before COVID-19 swept the world, South Korea’s top two travel retailers Lotte Duty Free and Shilla Duty Free Shop ascended to the world’...