(MENAFN) As the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) scare finally retreated, South Korea's retail sales edged up in July from a year earlier, reaching USD25.6 billion, up from USD25.4 billion in last year's corresponding period.
On a different note, Sales of food and beverages went up 3.8 percent on-year in July, with electronic appliance sales gaining 3.2 percent, while department stores had their sales rise 0.4 percent on-year to USD1.8 billion in July.
In contrast, as an inevitable result for strong demand for foodstuffs, miscellaneous goods and cosmetics, online shopping sales went up 21.2 percent on-year to USD4 billion in July.
"The fallout of the MERS outbreak that caused demand to slump seems to have receded in July, leading to a slight rise in consumer spending," said an official at the statistical agency.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.