Sales at convenience stores nationwide last month fell below the previous year for the first time in three months due to a decrease in customers due to the impact of priority measures such as prevention of spread in Tokyo and Osaka.
According to the Japan Franchise Association, last month's sales of convenience stores nationwide totaled 765.2 billion yen at existing stores that have been open for over a year, down 0.2% from the same month last year.
It is the first time in three months that sales have fallen below the previous year.
The main reason for this was the decrease in the number of customers visiting the store, as priority measures such as prevention of spread were issued in Tokyo and Osaka due to the spread of the new coronavirus, and the movement to refrain from going out became stronger.
On the other hand, the purchase price per customer increased by 3.3% from the same month last year due to the strong performance of winter products such as hot drinks and noodles, which have low average temperatures nationwide.
According to the Japan Franchise Association, "Although priority measures such as prevention of spread have been lifted, the future of the business environment at convenience stores is uncertain because we do not know what the infection situation and the flow of people will be in the future."