— Sales Post 5th Straight Y/Y Drop But Clothing Up On Cold Weather
TOKYO (MNI) – Sales at supermarkets in Japan open for at least a
year fell 0.6% in December from a year earlier to Y1.257 trillion,
posting the fifth straight year-on-year drop mainly due to sluggish
sales of food and household goods, an industry group said Monday.
But the pace of decline decelerated from a 2.3% fall in November as
cold weather boosted demand for winter clothing. Sales of clothing rose
5.7% y/y in December following -3.3% in November.
The latest figures are based on the combined sales at 60
supermarket chains which together operate 8,086 outlets. The numbers
have been adjusted to facilitate comparison on a same-store basis.
Including sales at stores newly opened during the past year,
revenue rose 3.7%, with the pace of growth accelerating from +2.6% in
November.
In 2011, supermarket sales totaled Y12.702 trillion, down 0.8% on
year, posting falls for 15 years in a row, but the pace of decline
decelerated from -2.6% in 2010.
tokyo@marketnews.com
** Market News International Tokyo Newsroom: 81-3-5403-4835 **
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