Supermarket sales in October 4% lower than last year Rebound of last-minute demand November 21 17:41
Sales at major supermarkets nationwide in October were 4% lower than the same month last year due to a reaction to last-minute demand before the consumption tax hike.
According to the Japan Chain Store Association, an industry organization, sales of approximately 1,500 major supermarkets nationwide in October totaled ¥ 975.1 billion.
The total sales will fall below 1 trillion yen for the first time in seven years since September 2012, except in February, when the number of days is low.
Compared with stores that continue operating, sales were 4.1% below the same month last year and decreased for the first time in two months.
This is because sales of hot pot food and clothing did not sway because there were many days of high temperatures in addition to a drop in consumption due to the rush of demand before the consumption tax hike.
In addition, the industry group analyzes that the fact that customers have moved to convenience stores that are subject to the cashless payment point reduction system that started with the increase in the consumption tax rate has also been analyzed.
“The influence of the point reduction system will distort consumers and lead to excessive price cuts and lead to deflation,” said Satoshi Inoue, managing director of the Japan Chain Store Association. I am worried about it. "