Supermarket sales in Japan up for 7th month in September

Sales at Japan's major supermarkets were up in September for the seventh straight month, with the total value driven up by the rising cost of many items, an industry body said Friday, Kazinform News Agency cites Xinhua. 

The Japan Chain Stores Association said overall sales came to 1.07 trillion yen (about 7.13 billion U.S. dollars), up 2.8 percent from a year earlier.

Sales of food products were up 4.8 percent, even though consumers are becoming more budget-conscious, while clothing sales dropped by 3.5 percent and home appliances, such as refrigerators and washing machines, fell by 19 percent.

Sales have been sustained by higher prices despite the number of items sold remaining low, the association said, adding that they are worried that inflation could keep hurting personal spending.