Last month and February sales of major supermarkets nationwide fell 2.1% compared to the same month last year.
Due to the influence of the new coronavirus, it seems to be a reaction to the movement to stock up on foodstuffs at this time of last year, and it decreased for the first time in 5 months.
According to the Japan Chain Stores Association, sales of 11,014 major supermarkets nationwide in February were 957.7 billion yen, 2.1% of the same month last year compared to existing stores that were open at the same time last year. Has decreased.
The decrease is the first in 5 months.
At this time of last year, the outbreak of the new coronavirus began to spread and there was a movement to stock up on groceries and daily necessities, and last year was a leap year with many business days.
By product, clothing decreased by 11.5%, reflecting the movement to refrain from going out, and the decline continues to be significant.
Atsushi Inoue, Managing Director of the Japan Chain Stores Association, said, "Although the state of emergency has been lifted, the number of infected people has stopped declining and there are concerns about the spread and re-expansion of variants, and consumer sentiment remains weak." I'm talking.