Online sales on the rise in the distribution industry, physical stores to focus on creating memorable stores = South Korea

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the proportion of online stores was 54.4% of the total, up 4.1 percentage points from a year ago. Department stores (16.1%) and large supermarkets (10.
The proportion of brick-and-mortar stores is shrinking, with department stores closing underperforming stores and renovating and re-opening high-selling stores.
Lotte Department Store closed its Masan store in 2024, but is planning to renovate its Jamsil store, which has sales of over 3 trillion won (about 31.15 billion yen).
The same is true for large supermarkets. E-Mart will close its Pentaport and Sangbong stores in 2024. It will close its Daegu Suseong and Godeok stores, which are based on the concept of a food market.
The convenience store industry places emphasis on profitability. The speed at which "CU" and "GS25" open new stores has slowed. Instead, they have switched to a store opening strategy centered on medium and large stores and specialized stores.
This trend is due to the fact that the role of stores has changed from sales to functioning as brand content. A person in the distribution industry said, "Creating memorable stores is a new way of surviving.
"This is a strategic plan," he explains.