TOKYO, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Japan's supermarket sales increased 2.8 percent on a same-store basis in October compared with last year, as people tend to stock up on food and other items amid the resurgence of COVID-19 cases across the country, the Japan Chain Stores Association said in a report on Thursday.
The rise in October after a fall in September reflected a drop in demand last October, when the nation's consumption tax was raised from 8 percent to 10 percent.
According to the industry body, sales at 10,871 supermarkets run by 56 companies totaled 1.05 trillion yen (10 billion U.S. dollars) in October on an all-store basis.
Among them, food sales rose 2.7 percent and those of housing-related items including daily necessities, furniture and drugs grew 3.8 percent in the reporting month.
Meanwhile, sales of clothing climbed 4 percent for the first time in 13 months. As the weather got cooler, sales of pajamas and underwear surged, making up for sluggish demand for suits and other business-related items with more people staying at and working from home. Enditem
