McDonald’s Korea said Friday that it will raise prices of eight items on its menu from Monday, including the brand’s signature Big Mac, by 1.36 percent overall. The items are four burgers, one side and one drink. The prices for the Cheese Burger and Big Mac will increase by 200 won (18 cents). Other items will see 100 won to 300 won increases.  The burger chain said it will also cut the prices of three burgers: the Hamburger by 200 won, and Double Bulgogi Burger and Double Chees

Starbucks Korea will start a new campaign with K-pop boy band BTS and roll out new menu items and products, as part of a project supporting youth, the company said Thursday. According to the coffee chain, it will start a new campaign, dubbed “Be the Brightest Stars” from Jan. 21 to Feb. 6, to present limited edition menu items and goods themed around the color purple in collaboration with BTS. The campaign is designed to deliver to young people the message, “You shine like a st

Global furniture giant IKEA said Wednesday that it is recalling India-made Troligtvis travel mugs due to health concerns related to chemicals in the products.The decision came amid worries that the mugs that have been sold since last year may migrate levels of dibutyl phthalate exceeding the recommended limits.  IKEA‘s Korea unit said that all customers who have bought the cups can get full refunds regardless of whether they have receipts.“We took the global recall measure so as

Yuhan-Kimberly, a Korean manufacturer of hygiene products, donated more than 5 million sanitary pads over the past four years, the company said Wednesday.The company’s donation is part of its “Cheer Up, Daughters” campaign to promote the rights of teens and the importance of hygiene for health, started in 2016 in partnership with the Korea Foundation for Women, a civic women’s group. According to the company, it donated 1.53 million pads in the first year, followed by 1 m

Following rising demand for air purifiers, household appliance company Woongjin Coway is seeking to continue its lead in the market with its special filters, the company said Tuesday.According to research institute Growth From Knowledge, annual sales of air purifiers in South Korea have more than doubled recently, from about 700,000 in 2016 to 1.8 million in 2018, amid the rising threat of worsening fine and ultrafine dust levels. Korea’s No. 1 rental company of air purifiers by sales, Cow

McDonald’s said Monday it will hire a total of 600 permanent employees this year, the biggest number since it entered the Korean market in 1988. According to the burger chain, the figure comprises about 200 restaurant managers for duties such as customer management, quality checks and human resources management.  The remaining 400 permanent employees will be hired for McDonald’s new position of restaurant shift manager. Only temporary staff working at the company can apply for t

Starbucks Korea said Monday that it had begun its recruitment process for baristas with disabilities for the first quarter of this year.According to the coffee chain, it will accept applications starting from Monday until 5 p.m. on Jan. 23. The process includes document screening, interviews and field tests in the form of five weeks of training, before the final results are announced. Starbucks first began its hiring program for baristas with disabilities in 2007, and began running the program o

Sephora opened its third shop Friday in Sinchon, a trendy university district, in collaboration with Hyundai Department Store. The 232-square-meter store is located on the first floor of Hyundai Department Store’s U-Plex. Last year, French luxury conglomerate LVMH’s Sephora launched its first store in Parnas Mall in the posh district of Gangnam in October and its second shop in Lotte Young Plaza in the Myeong-dong shopping district in December.The multibrand cosmetics store in Sincho

Lotte Mart said Sunday it will open two Honey Butter Almonds stores, following the snack’s popularity among foreign customers. According to the company, Honey Butter Almonds was recorded as the most popular snack product by foreign customers, posting the highest sales in the previous two years, with sales rising by 18.2 percent in 2018 and 7.9 percent in 2019 at Lotte Mart outlets. To meet the trend, Lotte Mart said it will open two Honey Butter Almonds stores in Seoul Station and Gim

New Jinro hits 100 million bottles in sales less than a year after launch

Shake Shack will roll out the limited-edition Roasted Garlic Mushroom Burger in South Korea on Monday. According to the chain’s Korean operator SPC Group, the burger is the first new menu item of the year.  It comprises Angus beef patty, deep-fried shallots and Portobello mushroom, topped with garlic mayonnaise sauce and provolone cheese inside a potato bun, the company said. It will be priced at 8,900 won ($7.66).Along with the new burger, Roasted Garlic Mayo Fries will be available

Korean e-commerce giant Coupang is preparing for an initial public offering as early as 2021, according to industry sources on Thursday. Citing anonymous officials, Bloomberg reported that Coupang has begun gearing up for an IPO, starting with tax structuring. Established in 2010 by CEO Kim Bom, Coupang was valued at $9 billion at the end of 2018. Amid rumors that the SoftBank-backed company would go public, Kim said he had mulled the option -- the “most difficult” in his career -- i

Shinsegae Department Store said Tuesday its Gangnam branch recorded annual sales of 2 trillion won ($1.71 billion) in 2019, becoming the first single store to do so in the retail industry in South Korea.According to Shinsegae, its Gangnam branch in Seoul saw annual turnover exceed 1 trillion won in 2010, hitting the milestone just 10 years after it opened.  With the 2019 record, the department store joins the “2-trillion club” to stand shoulder to shoulder with global department

Samyang Group Chairman Kim Yoon said in his New Year’s address that the company would overcome challenges and prepare for the future this year. During a New Year’s meeting on Thursday, he also vowed to make bold overseas investments, acknowledging that the group’s assets and business activities are overly focused on the Korean market.  “Both markets at home and abroad will be much more difficult this year,” Kim said, suggesting four strategies for the group&rsq

McDonald’s said Thursday that its coffee brand McCafe has newly launched decaffeinated coffee drinks with the aim of attracting local customers who are sensitive to caffeine and heavy coffee drinkers.According to the company, McCafe will present four decaffeinated coffees -- Americano, McCafe Latte, Cappuccino and Espresso -- to offer a variety of choices for customers seeking to control their daily caffeine intake.The drinks in medium-sized cups cost between 1,000 won ($0.86) and 2,000 wo