This year's year-end gift shopping season has begun in earnest at department stores.
While there are no restrictions on movement due to the corona crisis, there is a growing movement to strengthen the lineup of products that are expected to gather with family and friends, and gifts that are familiar to everyday life due to rising prices.
A department store in Tokyo's Toshima Ward has started handling products that can be shared by a large number of people, such as yakitori sets and pizza sets from famous stores.
This is because we expect that there will be more opportunities for families and friends to gather together at the end of the year without restrictions on the movement of the corona sickness, so the lineup of hot pot sets has increased compared to last year.
Kensuke Hirate of Sogo & Seibu said, "Since this is the first year-end gift since the movement restrictions were lifted, we have prepared products that will allow everyone to enjoy a little luxury."
On the other hand, Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores has increased the inventory of target products in anticipation that gift demand for daily necessities such as coffee, as well as cooking oil and seasonings, will increase as the prices of familiar foods continue to rise.
The company expects sales of these daily necessities to increase by about 15% from last year.
According to major department stores, the central price range for this year's year-end gift is around 3,000 to 5,000 yen, which is the same as usual.