Last month's supermarket sales Closed down due to a drop in clothing and other items May 21 16:07
Last month's sales for major supermarkets across the country were down 4.5% compared to the same month last year. Sales of groceries were strong, but sales of clothing and other items that had been closed due to the government's declaration of an emergency dropped sharply.
According to the Japan Chain Stores Association, the total sales of the 10,770 supermarkets nationwide last month totaled more than ¥ 1,016.2 billion.
When comparing the stores that are still operating, it fell 4.5% from the same month last year, decreasing for the first time in 3 months.
Among them, sales of frozen foods and vegetables continued to be strong due to an increase in the number of people spending their foods at home due to the spread of the new coronavirus.
However, in response to the declaration of an emergency last month, many stores closed their grocery stores, furniture stores, etc., and sales of non-food items fell sharply due to a 53.7% decrease in clothing. As a result, it became negative.
Atsushi Inoue, Managing Director of Japan Chain Stores Association, said, “I think that if the emergency declaration is lifted nationwide in the future, everyday life will gradually return to normal, but the economy and consumer sentiment will continue to deteriorate and consumption will remain sluggish. I'm afraid I'll do it. "