South Korea

Fragrances maintained double-digit current value growth in South Korea in 2023, with premium fragrances continuing to overwhelmingly dominate, and also seeing the strongest growth in this year. The super-premium segment in fragrances is primarily…

In 2023, retail in South Korea maintained solid current value growth both online and offline, with growth also returning to outlet numbers in the offline space. Value increases were seen across most channels, although growth in outlet numbers was…

Spectacles in South Korea saw only slow current value growth in 2023, and this trend is anticipated to continue into 2024, with the expectation of a further slowdown in year-on-year growth. However, within spectacles, the three categories – readymade…

Ongoing high inflation and economic difficulties have been discouraging consumer spending on luxury products and discretionary items, including jewellery. Nonetheless, despite the expectation of a slight decline in retail volume terms, in current…

Snacks in South Korea is set to maintain solid retail current value growth in 2024, affected by multiple influences. Inflation, along with the rising costs of raw materials and labour, is exerting significant pressure on manufacturers, leading to…

In South Korea, the alcoholic drinks industry has been rapidly evolving, witnessing a swift transition from imported beers to craft beers, then to wines, and subsequently to whiskies and highballs. The industry is now speculating about the next big…

Discounters remained only a small retail channel in South Korea in 2023, and continued to see a decline in outlet numbers in this year, although returned to slight current value growth. In South Korea, major retailers have embraced private label…

Sprits in South Korea recorded a total volume decline in 2023. However, not all categories faced a negative performance. For instance, whiskies demonstrated robust growth, notably influenced by the behaviours of Generation Z of legal drinking age,…

RTDs in South Korea saw exceptional total volume growth in 2023, mainly driven by off-trade growth, although on-trade sales also saw a double-digit increase. Growth was primarily driven by an increase in light home drinking, and a rise in young…

In 2023, homewares in South Korea maintained a current value decline, although this was mainly due to normalisation after a peak in sales during the pandemic in 2020, and sales remained far above the pre-pandemic level. Dinnerware continued to see…