Data
The flow of retail, told in numbers —
key statistics on duty-free, tourism, and distribution, gathered in one place.
Travel Retail
Duty-Free Sales
Data availableAnnual and monthly domestic-traveler and foreign-traveler sales at Korean duty-free shops (2018–2026, in USD million), compiled from Korea Customs Service open data and monthly press releases.
Inbound Foreign Visitors
Data availableAnnual foreign entries into Korea (2018–2025) — a key leading indicator for duty-free and inbound consumption demand.
Outbound Korean Travelers
Data availableAnnual departures by Korean citizens (2018–2025), used to read demand at departure-hall duty-free versus downtown stores, and outbound spending trends.
Incheon Airport Passenger & Transfer Traffic
Data availableAnnual passenger and transfer-passenger counts at Incheon Airport (2018–2025) — the indicator most directly tied to airport duty-free and retail revenue.
Global Travel Retail Market Size
Data availableMoodie Davitt's 2024 top-5 global travel retail operators (Avolta, CDFG, Lagardère, Lotte, Shilla) with financial detail — a benchmark for placing Korean operators in global context — plus a timeline of DFS Group (LVMH)'s Hong Kong/Macau sale and U.S. exit after dropping out of the top 5.
Duty-Free Operator Earnings
Data availableConfirmed revenue and operating profit for Korea's four duty-free operators. Q1 and Q2 2026 are both comparable across all four on the same basis (duty-free segment). Q2 — the first quarter after April's Incheon Airport DF1/DF2 reassignment (Shilla→Lotte, Shinsegae→Hyundai) — split the group: Hotel Lotte and Hyundai, who won new zones, grew revenue, while Hotel Shilla and Shinsegae Duty Free, who gave up zones, saw revenue fall even as operating margin improved more. Hotel Lotte's full 2025 Q1–Q4 run is included too, showing six straight quarters. Other years include only values confirmed in disclosures or press reports.
General Retail
Major Retailer Sales Trends
Data availableYear-over-year sales growth by channel — department stores, hypermarkets, convenience stores, SSMs, online (2024–2026) — tracking the shift in share between offline and online channels.
Online Shopping Trends
Data availableAnnual online shopping transaction value (2018–2025), mobile's share, and cross-border direct purchase/resale volume (including cosmetics) — a picture of how fast e-commerce is growing.
E-Commerce Platform Earnings
Data availableConfirmed revenue and operating profit/loss for six major Korean e-commerce platforms, with notes on why direct comparison is hard given their different business models (inventory-based, open marketplace, ecosystem-driven).
Retail Sales Index
Data availableYear-over-year change in Korea's nationwide retail sales index (2023–2026) — a baseline indicator of how the retail industry is actually feeling the economy.
K-Beauty Export Statistics
Data availableAnnual cosmetics (HS 3304) export value and reference statistics by country (2023–2025) — an aggregate gauge of overseas demand for K-beauty spanning duty-free, cross-border resale, and local retail.
Department Store & Outlet Earnings
Data availableConfirmed revenue and operating profit for five department store operators and outlet operators. Covers Q1 and Q2 2026 segment results together with 2025 total store sales; Lotte, Shinsegae, Hyundai, and Galleria are updated through Q2 (Galleria on a consolidated basis). AK Plaza remains undisclosed.
Global Beauty Company Earnings
Data availableRevenue and margin data for global beauty companies with significant exposure to the duty-free and travel-retail channel. Covers Estée Lauder's FY2026 Q4/full-year results, L'Oréal's 2026 H1 results, and Coty's FY2026 Q4/full-year results, alongside their Hainan and China travel-retail commentary.
Beauty Device Company Earnings
Data availableConfirmed earnings for Korean home beauty device companies. Covers APR, growing rapidly on a cosmetics-plus-device hybrid model; LG Household & Health Care (Pra:L), diversifying into devices as its cosmetics profitability weakens; and Cellreturn (STG24), still unable to recover five years after a regulatory-risk event.