Analysis of Net Changes by Business Category in Seoul Commercial Districts, Q1 2026
Period: 2026년 1분기 · Translated from the Korean original.
Over the most recent 8 quarters, there were 104,245 openings and 117,290 closures in Seoul's commercial districts, for a net change of -13,045 businesses. Of 82 business categories, 30 grew and 52 declined. Skin care salons had the highest net change rate at 24.2%, while PC cafes had the lowest at -17.7%.
Key findings
- Over the most recent 8 quarters, there were 104,245 openings and 117,290 closures overall, for a net change of -13,045 businesses.
- Of 82 business categories, 30 grew and 52 declined.
- Skin care salons had the highest figure among the growing categories shown in the table, with a net change rate of 24.2% and a net change of +2,284 businesses.
- PC cafes had the lowest net change rate, at -17.7%, and a net change of -238 businesses.
- Among the declining categories shown in the table, beer pubs and snack bars had the largest decrease, with a net change of -2,544 businesses.
Analysis
Overall Business Trends
Over the most recent 8 quarters, closures (117,290) outnumbered openings (104,245), resulting in an overall net change of -13,045 businesses. The number of declining categories, 52, also exceeded the 30 growing categories.
Categories with the Highest Growth Rates
The highest net change rates were for skin care salons (24.2%), sports clubs (17.4%), and pet services (16.5%). In the table, skin care salons had 4,258 openings and 1,974 closures, for a net change of +2,284 businesses.
Categories with the Highest Decline Rates
The lowest net change rates were for PC cafes (-17.7%), guesthouses (-17.3%), and beer pubs and snack bars (-15.3%). Among the categories shown in the table, beer pubs and snack bars had 3,138 openings and 5,682 closures, for a net change of -2,544 businesses.
Comparing Change Rates and Business Counts
Net change rates and net change counts are different metrics. For example, skin care salons had a net change rate of 24.2% and a net change of +2,284 businesses. The table also shows the current number of businesses and the franchise share for each category.
Openings, Closures, and Net Changes by Business Category Over the Most Recent 8 Quarters
| Business category | Openings (8 quarters) | Closures (8 quarters) | Net change | Net change rate | Current businesses | Franchise share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 피부관리실 | 4,258 | 1,974 | 2,284 | 24.2% | 10,381 | 2.6% |
| 스포츠클럽 | 1,977 | 1,091 | 886 | 17.4% | 5,476 | 3.9% |
| 애완동물 | 1,091 | 679 | 412 | 16.5% | 2,650 | 6.5% |
| 여관 | 1,192 | 734 | 458 | 14.6% | 3,295 | 0.7% |
| 완구 | 308 | 167 | 141 | 14% | 1,078 | 0.2% |
| 슈퍼마켓 | 4,264 | 2,670 | 1,594 | 12.9% | 13,186 | 29% |
| 한복점 | 73 | 37 | 36 | 11.2% | 353 | 0% |
| 외국어학원 | 720 | 464 | 256 | 10.3% | 2,695 | 2.2% |
| 섬유제품 | 692 | 383 | 309 | 10.3% | 3,221 | 0.1% |
| 일반의원 | 1,816 | 813 | 1,003 | 8.7% | 11,795 | 0% |
| PC방 | 328 | 566 | -238 | -17.7% | 1,191 | 10.6% |
| 게스트하우스 | 33 | 291 | -258 | -17.3% | 1,382 | 0.9% |
| 호프-간이주점 | 3,138 | 5,682 | -2,544 | -15.3% | 15,595 | 11% |
| 신발 | 208 | 824 | -616 | -14.2% | 4,073 | 2% |
| 핸드폰 | 275 | 1,150 | -875 | -13.3% | 6,227 | 1% |
| 중고차판매 | 34 | 145 | -111 | -12.2% | 862 | 0% |
| 치킨전문점 | 1,464 | 2,178 | -714 | -12% | 5,783 | 63.9% |
| 녹음실 | 15 | 150 | -135 | -11.9% | 1,077 | 0.2% |
| 유아의류 | 176 | 355 | -179 | -10.5% | 1,628 | 5.2% |
| 화장품 | 1,320 | 2,734 | -1,414 | -10% | 13,751 | 5.4% |
Read with care
- Although the report period is shown as Q1 2026, the figures for openings, closures, and net changes cover the most recent 8 quarters.
- The source data does not specify how net change rates are calculated or what denominator is used, so caution is needed when comparing rates across business categories.
- Opening and closure counts alone cannot establish the causes of change or the performance of individual businesses.
Method & sources
Figures were aggregated by code from the source data; the commentary was written by AI using only these figures.