Supermarket sales edged down 0.1 percent from a year earlier in January on a same-store basis, a fall for 26 months running, an industry body said Tuesday.

The sales at 7,919 stores run by 62 companies tracked in the survey came to ¥1.09 trillion, according to the Japan Chain Stores Association.

Food sales, which made up 60.9 percent of total sales, dipped 0.4 percent. Clothing sales fell 1.2 percent, while household products including drugs, furniture and electrical appliances rose 1 percent.