Japan’s Major Department Stores Post Sales Gains in November

According to preliminary November sales figures released by four major department store operators, all of them posted year-on-year increases.

Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. posted a 10.4% y-o-y sales increase, J. Front Retailing (total of department store operations) a 7.6% increase, H2O Retailing (total of all Hankyu Hanshin department stores) a 5.8% increase, and Takashimaya stores (including domestic department store subsidiaries) a 5.8% increase.

At each company, sales of luxury and designer brand handbags/purses, jewelry, and cosmetics appeared to be strong. In addition, sales of coats, scarves, and other fall/winter apparel were said to have increased due to the cooler temperatures.

As for individual stores, sales at the Hankyu Department Store Umeda were up 13.8% y-o-y, a record high for November. The performance was boosted by new arrivals of high-end brands, which apparently contributed to the strong performance.

(source) https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/5131687005fd0b9aeb9fd1a96dc3bfe3a711ae0c