Sales at supermarkets and department stores continued to fall in August on a year-on-year basis, primarily due to the unusually cool summer, according to industry data released Wednesday.
The Japan Chain Stores Association said that supermarket sales had fallen 3.9 percent on a same-store basis to 1.2 trillion yen, down for the 14th consecutive month.
The Japan Department Stores Association said sales at department stores had declined 1.9 percent on a same-store basis in the same month to 552.4 billion yen, down for the 17th month.
According to the chain stores association, food sales, which accounted for 59.4 percent of overall supermarket sales in the reporting month, fell 2.2 percent to 715.98 billion yen, amid weak sales of cold beverages and barbecue items.