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Department store sales soar over holiday as cold and rain keep people indoors

Published: 12 Oct. 2025, 17:24 Updated: 12 Oct. 2025, 17:41

The Lotte World Mall is filled with visitors during the Chuseok holidays in October. [LOTTE DEPARTMENT STORE]

Department stores saw a significant uptick in sales over the Chuseok holidays, while big-box retailers struggled — a divide driven by an unusually long break and chilly, wet weather.

According to Korea’s three major department store chains — Lotte, Shinsegae and Hyundai — average daily sales during the Chuseok holiday period from Oct. 3 to 9 rose sharply compared to last year’s holiday period from Sept. 14 to 18. Lotte Department Store recorded a 35 percent increase in average daily sales, while Shinsegae saw a 25.5 percent increase and Hyundai a 25.2 percent increase. Average daily foot traffic at all three chains rose by over 25 percent.

Fashion sales saw the biggest gains, with Hyundai’s fashion segment up 50 percent, Shinsegae’s up 46.5 percent and Lotte’s up 35 percent.

Industry analysts attribute the gains to people opting to spend their holidays indoors. With this year’s Chuseok falling 19 days later than last year due to the leap year, Seoul’s average low temperatures were about 9 degrees Celsius (16 degrees Fahrenheit) colder, and most of the holiday period was rainy.

“More people chose to spend their time at department stores, and the drop in temperature led to a surge in clothing sales, particularly outerwear,” said a Lotte Department Store representative.

The return of Chinese tour groups, who have been allowed visa-free entry since Sept. 29, also had a major impact. Between Oct. 1 and 9, Lotte’s foreign customer sales jumped 40 percent year-on-year, while sales to Chinese customers at its main branch surged 45 percent.

“The share of foreign customers at Kinetic Ground, our K-fashion specialty floor on the ninth level of the main store, rose from 50 percent to 80 percent during the holiday period,” the Lotte representative added.

In contrast, big-box retailers struggled. Both Emart and Lotte Mart saw their average daily sales over the holiday period decline by around 5 percent compared to last year.

Hyundai Department Store will begin a sale for its autumn and winter clothes. [HYUNDAI DEPARTMENT SOTRE]

“Big-box stores usually see peak Chuseok sales the day before the holiday, when customers shop for food to prepare ceremonial meals,” said an Emart representative, “but this year, with the holiday falling midweek and followed by several more days off, demand was spread out due to travel and leisure.”

Retailers are now rolling out post-holiday sales campaigns targeting shoppers with leftover bonuses or holiday stress to burn off.

Big-box chains are focusing on discounts for daily necessities and toys. Emart is offering discounts on food items, such as a platter of flatfish and salmon sashimi for 29,980 won ($21) through Wednesday. Lotte Mart’s Toys“R”Us is running a sale on 2,000 items, including toys and video games, with discounts of up to 40 percent until Sunday.

According to Lotte Mart, months that include major holidays tend to see the highest toy sales, except for May, which is for Children’s Day, and December, which is for Christmas.

Department stores, meanwhile, are targeting seasonal wardrobe updates. Hyundai Department Store is holding fall and winter clothing sales featuring cashmere and wool items at its Pangyo, Mok-dong and Jung-dong branches. Lotte Department Store is running a “Wedding Fair” through Oct. 19, offering discounts on custom suits for Lotte Wedding Members.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LIM SUN-YOUNG [[email protected]]