Convenience store sales in Japan fell 5.2 percent in June from a year earlier, marking the fourth month of decline, due to the lingering impact of the novel coronavirus, an industry body said Monday.

However, the decline in the reporting month was an improvement on the record drop of 10.6 percent in April and a 10 percent fall in May following the lifting of a nationwide state of emergency by the government in late May.

In June, same-store sales at seven major convenience store operators totaled ¥837.96 billion ($7.83 billion), the Japan Franchise Association said.

The number of shoppers fell 11.6 percent from a year earlier to 1.25 billion, while average spending per person rose 7.3 percent to ¥669.6.