Duty-free sales at Japan's department stores in May rose about 3.3-fold from a year earlier to 71.8 billion yen ($449 million), setting a new record for the third consecutive month, data by an industry body showed Monday.
Overall same-store sales at 177 stores operated by 71 companies rose 14.4 percent from a year earlier to 469.2 billion yen, marking the 27th consecutive month of growth, driven by rising numbers of foreign visitors to Japan and increased purchases of luxury items, according to the Japan Department Stores Association.
The stores will likely continue benefitting from foreign visitors for a while, an association official said, noting that the strong purchasing trends among Chinese visitors have pushed up sales and average spending per consumer for the month.
The increase in visitors helped drive a 19.4 percent jump in total sales across 10 major cities in Japan, with Kyoto, Osaka and Fukuoka seeing surges of over 20 percent.
High-end art, jewelry and precious metals saw a 36.7 percent increase in sales, driven by strong performances at sales events aimed at affluent clientele.
