(Update) Japan July Supermarket Sales Up 1st Time in 4 Months

Tokyo, Aug. 22 (Jiji Press)–Sales at supermarkets in Japan in July rose 0.9 pct from a year earlier on a same-store basis, marking the first increase in four months, an industry body said Friday.

Thanks to the scorching weather, sales of food and beverages continued to perform steadily, and sales of summer clothing and home electronic appliances posted brisk gains, the Japan Chain Stores Association said.

In the month, sales at 8,622 stores run by 71 companies totaled 1,128.2 billion yen.

Food sales rose 1.8 pct for the sixth straight month. Beverages and ice cream products sold well together with prepared food and rice.

But consumers were still tightening their belts, officials at the association said. The number of shoppers rose, but per-customer spending fell, they said.

Sales of eel products slumped in what is usually the busiest season for the industry, as stores refrained from actively selling inexpensive imported products in the wake of false labeling scandals involving grilled Chinese eels.

Sales of clothing such as underwear and swimsuits were down 1.7 pct from a month earlier, compared with the larger fall of 9.8 pct in June.

Sales of house goods also improved backed by brisk demand for air conditioners, with the year-on-year drop rate decreasing to 0.1 pct from 4.5 pct in the same month last year.END

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