Lotte Shopping considers what's in store

South Korea's top retailer by market share, Lotte Shopping Co, said yesterday that it was considering purchasing a 72.3-percent stake in the Chinese hypermarket and supermarket operator Times Ltd, but no decision had yet been made.

Chung Ji-song, spokesman for Lotte Department Store, a key unit of Lotte Shopping, told Reuters that Times was one of many merger and acquisition offers it had been asked to consider.

Seoul-based Lotte Shopping indicated it may pay cash for a controlling stake in Times from its chairman, Kenneth Fang. Any deal would scupper Wumart Stores Inc's $600-million bid for the Chinese retailer.