Main supermarket sales decreased for 4 consecutive years due to unseasonable weather and increased consumption tax rate

Main supermarket sales declined for 4 consecutive years due to unseasonable weather and increased consumption tax rate.

Sales of major supermarkets nationwide for the past year have fallen 1.8% year-on-year for the fourth consecutive year. Unfavorable weather and a hike in the consumption tax rate had an impact.

According to the Japan Chain Stores Association, sales of 10,550 major supermarkets nationwide last year were over 12,432.4 billion yen.

Compared with this, sales of comparable stores fell 1.8% from the previous year and decreased for the fourth consecutive year.

This was due to the unseasonable summer weather and the warm winter, which resulted in sluggish sales of food and clothing.In addition to liquors and cosmetics, for which the consumption tax rate was raised, sales of foods subject to the reduced tax rate also fell. It is because it is coming.

Atsushi Inoue, Managing Director of the Japan Chain Stores Association, said, “Irregular weather and a rise in the consumption tax rate are cooling down everyday consumption like a body blow. I hope that the economy will recover and consumption will improve. "