Shoppers purchase groceries at a supermarket in Seoul, April 25. Yonhap

Retail sales in Korea rose 10.9 percent on-year in March on the back of stronger demand for travel and entertainment services from online platforms, data showed Monday.

The combined sales of 25 major offline and online retailers came to 15.8 trillion won ($11.43 billion), compared with 14.2 trillion won tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Offline store sales moved up 6 percent during the period, partly due to the higher number of weekend days, which totaled 10, an increase of two from the previous year.

Supermarket sales rose by 6.2 percent, driven by increased demand for food, although the sales of other categories, such as sports items and clothing, declined.

Sales at department stores also increased 8.9 percent, led by household items and imported luxury goods, the data showed.

Convenience stores saw their sales advance 3 percent over the period, with demand rising in all categories, from ready-to-eat items to daily necessities.

Sales from online platforms surged 15.7 percent, on the back of the demand for travel services during the spring season, as well as increases in food delivery and gift voucher purchases.

Online platforms accounted for 52.7 percent of total sales in February, up from 50.5 percent a year earlier, the ministry said. (Yonhap)