Takashimaya's duty-free sales rose 12.8% year on year in September, but the department store operator's own figures for October 1 to 15 show them down 12.2%, on an existing-store basis. The September monthly sales report gives the split: the count fell 10.3% and the unit price fell 2.2%.
September: spending per purchase did the work
Total storefront sales at the department stores rose 2.4% in September (4.0% on an existing-store basis). Excluding duty-free, storefront sales rose 1.1% (2.9% existing-store).
Takashimaya's inbound-customer figures show how the duty-free gain was built. The count rose 0.3%, while the unit price rose 12.5%. The company said inbound customers bought more high-priced goods, cosmetics and sports-related items, and that domestic customers bought autumn clothing and accessories as temperatures fell.
October so far: fewer purchases and lower unit prices
For October through the 15th, Takashimaya reports storefront sales up 1.5% and storefront sales excluding duty-free up 4.6%. The duty-free line is the exception, down 12.2%. Domestic demand held up in the report, while the inbound line moved the other way.
Reading the numbers
The closures matter for comparisons. Takashimaya deducted prior-year results for its Sakai store, which closed on January 7, and its Rakusai store, which closed on August 3. Excluding Rakusai's prior-year results, the Kyoto store's sales rose 5.8% in September. The report gives the October figures as a cumulative total to the 15th, a half month at one retailer, so it is a partial signal for that company only.