Cooler weather helped to move some autumn items, but the lack of international shoppers continued to dampen sales. Fast Retailing said Uniqlo store stores in Japan increased by 10 percent last month versus September 2019. Customer numbers were up by 8.5 percent, and the average purchase grew by 1.4 percent. Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, Japan’s largest department store operator, said September same-store sales of its five department stores in the Tokyo metropolitan area declined by 35.5 percent on the year. The Mitsukoshi store in the Japanese capital’s Ginza district, which was a popular shopping destination for overseas tourists before the onset of the pandemic, saw its September sales fall by 47.8 percent. Takashimaya said sales at its 15 department stores in Japan dropped 36.1 percent in September versus 2019. The retailer’s Osaka store in southwestern Japan saw its sales fall by 44.7 percent, while the store in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi district recorded a monthly sales decrease of 41.7 percent.

September Retail Sales in Japan are Mixed