Supermarket sales rose 2.8 percent by value in September from a year earlier on a same-store basis, up for the first time in six months owing to a rush of demand before the Oct. 1 consumption tax hike, an industry body said Thursday.
Sales at 10,515 supermarkets operated by 55 companies totaled ¥1.02 trillion, according to the Japan Chain Stores Association.
Sales of food, which are generally exempt from the tax increase from 8 percent to 10 percent, slipped 0.6 percent partly due to declines in farm goods prices.
Sales of household products including toiletries, home appliances and pharmaceutical products jumped 13.9 percent, while sales of clothing rose 0.8 percent.