Supermarket sales in Japan in fiscal 2024 rose 1.4% from the previous year on a same-store basis, up for the fifth consecutive year, the Japan Chain Stores Association said Thursday.
Sales at all stores totaled ¥12,764.3 billion.
Sales in value terms grew on higher prices including for food, especially rice and vegetables, but sales in volume terms continued to decline as consumers remained reluctant to spend.
By category, food sales, which account for 70% of overall sales, increased 3.5%. Clothing sales fell 5.3% due to sluggish demand for winter items amid warmer-than-average weather.
In March alone, supermarket sales climbed 2.2% from a year earlier, the first increase in two months, and totaled ¥1.1 trillion.
“Consumers continue to hold off on purchases as real wage increases aren’t keeping pace with inflation,” said an official of the association.
Regarding rice prices, the official said that the government’s release of its stockpiled rice has not led to a drop in prices as such rice has yet to fully go on the market.
