SEOUL, Aug. 09 (Yonhap) — Heavy downpours that battered Seoul and central parts of South Korea also hit retail, leading to department store closures and delayed deliveries of goods to consumers.
Parts of Seoul and surrounding Incheon and Gyeonggi Province received heavy rain of more than 100 millimeters per hour Monday evening, with hourly rainfall in Seoul’s Dongjak District exceeding 141.5 mm at one point. given, the heaviest rainfall per hour since 1942.
Torrential rains have wreaked havoc on the retail sector leaving some department stores and cafes closed and disrupting deliveries from online retailers as major transport routes remain under water.
According to industry sources on Tuesday, the IFC mall in the Yeouido financial district was temporarily closed as heavy rains caused water to leak from the ceiling of the building.
In southern Seoul, Shinsegae’s underground restaurant complex, Famille Station, located near the express bus station in the Gangnam area, had to halt operations after some of its areas were flooded.
Starbucks Korea suspended morning operations at 12 stores in Seoul and surrounding areas due to rainwater leaking from their ceilings, while adjusting some of its employees’ working hours to ensure safety.
Convenience store chains also suffered from stormwater damage.
Some 200 CU stores have been damaged by flooding, water and power cuts since Tuesday, its operator BGF Retail said.
As of 9 a.m., 46 GS25 stores and about 40 7-Eleven convenience stores in southern Seoul were damaged by flooding, according to the operator of the two convenience store chains.
Disruptions were also reported at online shopping malls as flooding hampered the delivery of goods to customers.
Online grocery giant Market Kurly has reportedly sent a notification to its customers that delivery of certain goods may be delayed or may not arrive due to heavy rain.
Coupang Wow, the same-day delivery service from e-commerce giant Coupang, was also affected. Some goods that were due to arrive on Monday were delayed until early Tuesday morning.
