South Korea Retail Sales Rebound in September

2026-10-29 23:16 By Joshua Ferrer 1 min. read

Retail sales in South Korea rose by 3.6% month-over-month in September 2026, rebounding from a 1.8% decline in the previous month.

This marked the strongest growth in retail activity since October last year, largely driven by higher sales of durable goods, such as food and beverages and passenger cars.

On a year-on-year basis, retail trade dropped by 0.4% in September, slipping further from a downwardly revised 0.1% fall in the preceding period.

As a key gauge of private consumption, the latest figures suggest that the recovery in monthly sales has yet to translate into stronger annual consumption growth.

The continued year-on-year decline points to lingering weakness in household spending, although the sharp monthly rebound indicates an improvement in retail activity toward the end of the third quarter.



News Stream
South Korea Retail Sales Rebound in September
Retail sales in South Korea rose by 3.6% month-over-month in September 2026, rebounding from a 1.8% decline in the previous month. This marked the strongest growth in retail activity since October last year, largely driven by higher sales of durable goods, such as food and beverages and passenger cars. On a year-on-year basis, retail trade dropped by 0.4% in September, slipping further from a downwardly revised 0.1% fall in the preceding period. As a key gauge of private consumption, the latest figures suggest that the recovery in monthly sales has yet to translate into stronger annual consumption growth. The continued year-on-year decline points to lingering weakness in household spending, although the sharp monthly rebound indicates an improvement in retail activity toward the end of the third quarter.
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