Department store sales in September fell 7.8 percent from a year earlier on a same-store basis, the largest drop for the month since 1965, when comparable data was first compiled, an industry body said Monday.
Department store sales fell for the 19th straight month, the Japan Department Store Association said. Sales in the reporting month totaled ¥476.2 billion.
Although business conditions at department stores remained severe in September along with continuing concern about unemployment and deteriorating income, the pace of the year-on-year drop slowed for the second straight month partly because favorable weather helped increase the number of customers, the association said.
Sales of luxury art and jewelry items plunged 16.0 percent and clothing declined 10.5 percent.
While overall food sales fell 2.5 percent, confectioneries edged up 0.5 percent on demand during the Silver Week string of holidays.
The data covered 270 stores run by 87 department store operators.