Supermarkets sales fell 1.4 percent in February from a year earlier on a same-store basis to 1.042 trillion yen, down for the eighth straight month, the Japan Chain Stores Association said Tuesday.
The decline in sales was due to continued weakness in demand for clothing and daily items, though demand for food remained solid, the association said.
Food sales, the largest category, accounting for 58.8 percent of the total, rose 1.5 percent to 613.26 billion yen, up for the seventh straight month, with demand especially strong for hot-pot products and health foods.
Sales of clothing, accounting for 12.4 percent of overall sales, were down 3.6 percent to 128.87 billion yen due to bad weekend weather and poor performance in winter clothing sales.
Sales of daily items, including medical and cosmetic goods, furniture, and electrical appliances, which represent 21 percent of the total, fell 4.6 percent to 218.4 billion yen.
The sales data covered 102 supermarket chains that run a combined 9,124 retail outlets nationwide.