Japan department store sales down 6.8% in October

November 19, 2008
By Ken Worsley

The Japan Department Store Association has redesigned their website. It still looks like a cheap template, and still has no information in English, but it looks about a million times better than what they had before.

According to data released yesterday, sales at the nation’s 281 department stores fell 6.8% in October, to about 584.56 billion yen. The 281 stores surveyed is two higher than a month ago, and sales have now been down for eight consecutive months on a year-on-year comparison basis.

Here is a breakdown of sales by individual categories:

Clothing: 40.0% of total sales, down 9.6%
Personal Effects: 12.7% of total sales, down 9.7%
Miscellaneous Goods: 13.8% of total sales, down 8.5%
Household Goods: 4.9% of total sales, down 15.1%
Food: 23.2% of total sales, up 1.6%
Services: 1.0% of total sales, down 4.2%
Other: 1.7% of total sales, up 17.2%
Gift Certificates: 3.0% of total sales, down 2.2%

Once again, the only increase in a major category was seen in food sales. Clothing sales were particularly battered in October, and the JDSA blames continued warm weather having put a damper on sales of autumn and winter clothes. Sales of artwork, jewelry and precious metals dropped 13.5%, as big spenders seem to be holding back in the midst of the financial crisis.

In Tokyo itself, department store sales dropped 8.4% from last year for the eighth consecutive month of decreased sales.

Filed Under Department Stores, Economic Reports