TOKYO, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Nationwide department store sales in Japan rose 2.6 percent year-on-year in August, marking the first increase in seven months, data from the Japan Department Stores Association showed Thursday.
Total sales at the stores amounted to 413.9 billion yen (about 2.78 billion U.S. dollars) last month, according to the data.
Tax-free sales, however, continued to decline, falling 4.7 percent to 44.1 billion yen for the sixth straight month of losses.
The number of duty-free shoppers climbed 8.9 percent to a record 494,000 for August, while average spending per customer fell 12.4 percent.
Domestic sales rose 3.5 percent, supported by summer apparel, miscellaneous goods, and gift demand during the holiday season.
Sales in Tokyo's 23 wards and other major cities gained 2.9 percent, while regional areas rose 1.4 percent, marking their first increase in 11 months. ■
