McDonald's Holdings Japan's same-store sales growth slowed sharply in June, and the reason is not that customers spent less. It is that fewer of them showed up.
Customer traffic at outlets open more than 13 months fell 1.5% year-on-year in June, reversing the modest gains logged in April (+1.3%) and May (+0.6%). Average spend per visit kept climbing, up 4.2% year-on-year, as diners paid more for items such as the Cheese Cheese Double Cheeseburger and a World Cup-branded value set running through late July.
The combination pulled same-store sales growth down to 2.7% in June from 5.7% in May, according to the company's monthly disclosure to the Tokyo Stock Exchange. All-store sales, which include franchise locations, rose 4.9%.
| Month | All-Store Sales (%) | Same-Store Sales (%) | Customer Traffic (%) | Average Spend (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | 7.5 | 5.0 | 1.3 | 3.7 |
| May 2026 | 8.1 | 5.7 | 0.6 | 5.0 |
| June 2026 | 4.9 | 2.7 | -1.5 | 4.2 |
For the April-to-June quarter, same-store sales rose 4.5% and traffic was barely positive at 0.2%, which means June's drop erased most of the quarter's earlier gains. First-half same-store sales are up 5.9% year-on-year.
The pattern points to a chain leaning on price and promotion, including a limited-time ¥250 fries deal and a Super Mario Galaxy Happy Meal tie-in, to keep sales growing even as fewer customers walk through the door.