All major department store chains have reported year-on-year sales drops on a same-store basis for June, partly because consumers were slow in buying midyear gifts and heavy rain reduced consumer traffic in western Japan.
Among them, Takashimaya Co. sales fell 5.5 percent.
This came after recording the first year-on-year gain in 26 months in May. While jewelry and some seasonal goods sold well, sales of clothing and sundry goods fell.
J. Front Retailing Co. said its Daimaru and Matsuzakaya chains saw a 2.5 percent sales decrease after an increase in May as midyear gift sales were sluggish. A large-scale refurbishment at the Daimaru Umeda store in Osaka also affected sales.
Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. reported a 12.0 percent sales drop for its Mitsukoshi chain and a 2.3 percent fall for its Isetan chain. The Mitsukoshi chain suffered heavy drops at its Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, and Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, stores as they were hit by heavy rain in June.