Japan supermarket sales fall 2.7% in January

February 23, 2009
By Ken Worsley

According to data released today by the Japan Chain Stores Association, supermarket sales in Japan fell 2.7% in January. Sales of clothing and household products heavily pulled down sales, which totaled 1.15 trillion yen, and showed a fall for the second consecutive month.

Here is a breakdown of January’s adjusted figures (not including stores opened within the past twelve months):

Food: +0.7%, 61.3% of total revenue
Household Products: -5.5%, 20.0% of total revenue
Clothing: -10.9%, 12.4% of total revenue
Miscellaneous Items: -7.2%, 6.0% of total revenue
Services: +8.4%, 0.4% of total revenue

The figures include 8,778 stores operated by 70 companies. The number of supermarkets increased by 125 against a year ago. When figures from those newly opened stores are included, sales showed a 1.8% fall.

Sales per square meter fell 4.2% as available floor space increased 2.5%. The number of employees at Japan’s supermarkets increased by 1.7% in January.

Filed Under Economic Reports, Retail, Supermarkets