Combined wholesale and retail sales fell 0.3 percent in June on a year-on-year basis to 47.409 trillion yen, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a preliminary report Tuesday.
Sales by wholesalers rose 0.3 percent to 36.986 trillion yen. Those by retailers, however, dropped 2.3 percent to 10.423 trillion yen, helping overall sales to extend their year-on-year slide to the third straight month.
Wholesalers' performance rose for the first time in three months, led by strong demand in the minerals and metals segment.
But sales at retailers marked the 27th straight monthly fall, decreasing particularly in the apparel and accessories segment and the motor vehicle segment.