Foreign customers' purchases at health and beauty retailer CJ Olive Young surpassed 1 trillion won ($727.5 million) at its domestic stores in the first eight months of this year, reaching the milestone three months earlier than last year, while also seeing international visitors at its locations beyond Seoul. CJ Olive Young said Monday that cumulative purchases by foreign customers at its offline stores from January to August exceeded 1 trillion won, reaching the milestone earlier than last year when it achieved equivalent sales in November. The company recorded 11.01 million transactions by foreign customers during the period, or roughly one transaction every 0.9 seconds during store operating hours. The development underscores how K-beauty retailers are increasingly becoming part of tourism infrastructure, rather than simply a shopping stop in Seoul’s popular districts. Foreign customers accounted for 33 percent of Olive Young’s total offline store sales as of August, up from 2 percent in 2022, according to the company. Tax refund data from the tax refund service provider Global Tax