Seoul: South Korea's retail sales rose by 7.2% year on year in April, driven by a rapid sales recovery in department stores, data released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources showed Wednesday. The combined revenue among major offline and online retailers experienced a faster growth rate than the 5.6% increase noted in the previous month.

According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, online retailers saw a 7.5% increase in revenue, while offline retailers reported a 6.7% gain. Despite a 6.6% decline in sales by discount outlets, department store revenue surged by 21.7% last month, marking a consistent upward trend for ten consecutive months since July of the previous year.

Food purchases in offline stores decreased by 1%, although there was a significant rise in demand for home appliances, clothing, and sports items, all showing double-figure growth. In contrast, online food demand increased by 9.7%, and there was a double-digit expansion in online sales of cosmetics.

Additionally, the online demand for services, including travel, food delivery, and e-coupon purchases, rose by 3.4% over the last month.