The Japan Department Stores Association released a summary of nationwide department store sales for August. According to the report, total sales reached ¥429.1 billion. After adjusting for the number of stores, sales increased 2.7% year-on-year, the first increase in two months. Even the three-month moving average for June-August, adjusted for special factors such as sales schedules and holiday increases, increased 2.2%, demonstrating strong sales for the full fiscal year.
The main factor behind this was the continued record-breaking heatwave. Mainstay summer apparel (apparel: up 1.9%), UV cosmetics (cosmetics: up 3.5%), cooling bedding, parasols, sunglasses, and other midsummer items sold well. High-priced items such as luxury brands (personal items: up 4.5%) and jewelry and luxury watches (beauty, precious, and precious: up 18.3%) also continued to sell well. Furniture (up 5.8%) also performed well, driven by robust housing demand. As a result, sales rebounded from the previous month's slump to a positive trend.
By region, major cities such as Tokyo (5.6% increase), Nagoya (9.5% increase), and Osaka (7.8% increase), which saw significant effects from expansions and renovations, drove the overall growth. By product category, all five major categories saw year-on-year increases for the first time in two months since June, led by miscellaneous goods, which saw increases for the 10th consecutive month. Art, jewelry, and precious metals recorded increases for the 12th consecutive month, and cosmetics recorded increases for the 6th consecutive month.
Another factor behind the strong summer sales season was the increase in foreign visitors to Japan. Sales to foreign visitors increased 87.2%, and the number of visitors increased 77.1%. Due to the effects of policies such as the weak yen and visa relaxation, the number of visitors from Southeast Asia is rapidly increasing, and visitor numbers from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea also remained strong.
The main factor behind this was the continued record-breaking heatwave. Mainstay summer apparel (apparel: up 1.9%), UV cosmetics (cosmetics: up 3.5%), cooling bedding, parasols, sunglasses, and other midsummer items sold well. High-priced items such as luxury brands (personal items: up 4.5%) and jewelry and luxury watches (beauty, precious, and precious: up 18.3%) also continued to sell well. Furniture (up 5.8%) also performed well, driven by robust housing demand. As a result, sales rebounded from the previous month's slump to a positive trend.
By region, major cities such as Tokyo (5.6% increase), Nagoya (9.5% increase), and Osaka (7.8% increase), which saw significant effects from expansions and renovations, drove the overall growth. By product category, all five major categories saw year-on-year increases for the first time in two months since June, led by miscellaneous goods, which saw increases for the 10th consecutive month. Art, jewelry, and precious metals recorded increases for the 12th consecutive month, and cosmetics recorded increases for the 6th consecutive month.
Another factor behind the strong summer sales season was the increase in foreign visitors to Japan. Sales to foreign visitors increased 87.2%, and the number of visitors increased 77.1%. Due to the effects of policies such as the weak yen and visa relaxation, the number of visitors from Southeast Asia is rapidly increasing, and visitor numbers from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea also remained strong.
