Japan convenience store sales log 9-year low in March

Source: Xinhua | 2020-04-21

Sales at convenience stores in Japan decreased 5.8 percent in March from a year earlier, logging the largest decline in over nine years, the Japan Franchise Association said Monday.

Same-store sales of seven major convenience store operators stood at 833.90 billion yen (7.7 billion U.S. dollars), marking the first decline in three months.

Due to the spread of COVID-19, people refrained from going outside and purchasing at convenience stores.

The 5.8-percent decrease in sales was the largest since the 5.9-percent plunge in October 2010 after a tobacco tax hike, the association said.

Although most convenience stores across Japan remained open, the number of customers dropped 8.2 percent year-on-year to 1.28 billion in March, the sharpest decline since comparable data became available in 2005, while average spending per customer rose 2.5 percent to 649.0 yen (6.0 U.S. dollars).

Sales in the service category, including concert ticket sales, plunged 19.8 percent compared to the previous year, as many events were canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.