TOKYO, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Japan's convenience store sales dropped in May from a year earlier, marking the third successive month of decline, as coronavirus-induced stay-at-home requests saw patronage drop, the Japan Franchise Association said in a report Monday.
According to the association, same-outlet sales at seven major convenience store operators dropped 10 percent from a year earlier totaling 809.58 billion yen (7.58 billion U.S. dollars), in the recording period.
This compares to a 10.6-percent decline logged in April amid the coronavirus outbreak in Japan, with the drop here marking the steepest since comparable data became available.
The association said that in the recording period, patronage across all stores tumbled almost 20 percent on year to 1.16 billion shoppers, although the average outlay per customer climbed 12.4 percent to around 700 yen (6.5 U.S. dollars).
The jump in spending was due to customers during the pandemic, while frequenting stores less often, stocking up on fresh and frozen goods as well as on alcoholic drinks, the association said. Enditem
