Japan Supermarket Sales Fall 1.2 Pct in April

May 22, 2018

Tokyo- Sales at supermarkets in Japan in April dropped 1.2 pct from a year before on a same-store basis, down for the second straight month, industry data showed Tuesday.

The decline reflected year-on-year falls in retail vegetable prices and a slump in sales of fishery products chiefly stemming from poor catches of such fish as mackerel that are caught in inshore areas.

Overall sales at 10,065 stores run by 56 companies stood at 1,062 billion yen, the Japan Chain Stores Association said.

Food sales fell 1.4 pct. Sales of alcoholic products were sluggish after they drew strong rush demand in the year-earlier period before the regulation on excessive discounts on beer and quasi-beer products was tightened.

Clothing sales declined 2.7 pct due chiefly to weak sales of women's formal wear and men's suits. Sales of housing-related goods dropped 1.0 pct. Jiji Press