Sales at department stores in Japan in July fell 6.2% from a year before on a same-store basis, down for the sixth straight month, industry data showed Monday.
Total sales came to ?468.3 billion, the Japan Department Stores Association said.
The decline was partly because the number of shoppers from abroad plunged 16.7% to 476,000 to slip below 500,000 for the first time in 10 months.
Tax-free sales to visitors from abroad slumped 36.3% to ?40.3 billion. The average spending per overseas shopper decreased 23.6%, with the yen¡¯s rise dampening demand for luxury brand goods.
South Korean customers continued to decrease while the number of shoppers from Hong Kong tumbled amid a rumor there that a major earthquake would occur in Japan in July.
Tax-free sales in May-July fell sharply from a year before, when such sales were brisk thanks to the yen¡¯s weakness.
Weak consumption by visitors from abroad is expected to have a smaller impact in August and later, an association official said, adding that active demand from domestic shoppers will help brink overall department store sales back to year-before levels.
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