TOKYO: Japanese supermarket sales in October rose 2.8 pct on a same-store basis from a year before, following weakness in the same month of 2019 due to a consumption tax increase, industry data showed Thursday.

Sales were supported by rising demand for food products from consumers who stay home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Total sales at 10,871 stores run by 56 companies stood at 1,048.6 billion yen, the Japan Chain Stores Association said.

Food sales grew 2.7 pct.

Clothing sales increased for the first time in 13 months. Sales of business clothing were sluggish, but those of loungewear for winter were strong as many people are spending more time at home this year.

Sales of home-related goods, such as daily necessities and furniture, also grew after a decrease a year before following the Oct. 1, 2019, tax increase.

October’s supermarket sales were lower than in 2018, before the tax increase. In addition, customer traffic has started decreasing due to a surge in coronavirus cases.

Sales in October increased only in response to weakness a year before, senior association official Atsushi Inoue said. “The real situation is not good at all,” he said.

“We feel that consumers are increasingly spending less,” Inoue said.

JIJI Press