Sales at South Korea's major department stores gained at the fastest clip in three months in April from a year earlier on promotion events, government data showed Monday.

The combined sales of three department stores -- Hyundai, Lotte and Shinsegae -- jumped 4.3 percent on-year last month, the highest on-year gain since January, when it marked a 9 percent on-year gain, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.


At the same time, the major discount stores of E-Mart, Lotte Mart and Homeplus saw their April sales rebound to rise 1.7 percent on-year, snapping their two-month losing streak.

The ministry said the companies came up with various sales promotions to attract more shoppers as there was an increased number of weekends and holidays in April due partly to the quadrennial general elections.

Sales at convenience stores continued to grow by a large margin, spiking 18.1 percent on-year last month, helped by a rise in ready-to-eat meals.

However, sales at super supermarkets, mostly run by large retailers, inched down 1.6 percent on-year in April due to the high prices of vegetables and seafood, according to the latest data. (Yonhap)