Korean E-commerce Leader Kurly Achieves Record Q1 Performance, with Jan-Apr Operating Profit Surging to Nearly Double Previous Year’s Annual Total
Korean e-commerce leader Kurly announced Monday it has achieved record first-quarter earnings, driven by robust, balanced growth across its diverse business segments and significant improvements in profitability.
For the January to April period, Kurly reported impressive sales of 745.7 billion won ($506.9 million) and an operating profit of 24.2 billion won.
These figures represent a substantial year-on-year increase, with first-quarter sales climbing by 28.4 percent and operating profit soaring by an extraordinary 1,277 percent from the same period last year. Notably, this Q1 operating profit alone was 1.9 times greater than Kurly’s entire annual operating profit recorded in 2025.
Highlighting its market outperformance, Kurly’s gross merchandise value (GMV) for the January to March period reached 1.09 trillion won. This 29 percent year-on-year increase significantly outpaced Korea’s overall online shopping growth rate of 9.7 percent during the same timeframe.
Within its diverse portfolio, Kurly observed robust GMV increases across key segments: its food businesses grew by 27.8 percent, beauty businesses by 20.2 percent, and seller delivery services by an impressive 52.6 percent year-on-year.
Improved profitability was attributed to strategic initiatives, including the successful launch of its midnight delivery service in February – guaranteeing delivery for orders placed before 3 p.m. – alongside continuous operational streamlining at its advanced logistics centers located in Gimpo, Pyeongtaek, and Changwon.
Kim Jong-hoon, Kurly’s Chief Financial Officer, commented, “Our consistent efforts across products, logistics, and technology have significantly upgraded the customer experience.”
He added, “Our strategic moves to diversify businesses and cultivate new growth engines have demonstrated tangible results this first quarter. Having proven our strong potential for both growth and profitability through a distinct platform technology business model, we are now poised to accelerate our roadmap towards an initial public offering (IPO).”
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