Convenience store sales fell 1.9 percent on a same-store basis in December, marking the sixth straight month of year-on-year decline, the Japan Franchise Association said Monday.
The number of customers in the reporting month rose 0.6 percent from a year earlier, but average spending per customer decreased 1.7 percent.
The association attributed the sales results to lower-than-usual temperatures and more rainy days in the month.
Hot fast foods, such as noodles, sold well due to the weather, but sales of liquor stagnated as more stores other than convenience stores have begun selling it, the association said.
Sales at all convenience stores, including new ones, rose 2.5 percent in December to 583.66 billion yen.
The sales data covered outlets run by 14 convenience store operators.