Japan Supermarket Sales Up 1.6 Pct in Fiscal 1st Half

Tokyo, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–Supermarket sales across Japan in April-September rose 1.6 pct from a year earlier on an all-store basis, the first increase in two years for the first half of a fiscal year, the Japan Chain Stores Association said Thursday. The sales totaled 6,320.4 billion yen. Despite continued consumer thriftiness, soaring prices of agricultural products, including rice, whose prices have reached record-high levels, as well as cucumbers and eggs, pushed up the total sales in value terms. By category, food sales, which account for some 70 pct of overall sales, climbed 2.5 pct year on year, partially due to higher prices of name-brand products, as well as strong sales of bread and pasta, which are often chosen as alternatives for rice. Clothing sales were down 7.9 pct, with autumn clothing sales stagnating against the backdrop of the rise of specialty clothing stores. Sales of household items were on par with a year before. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]