October sales at the four major department store operators showed Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings' domestic department stores total up 10.9% year on year and H2O Retailing up 13.2%, while the other companies also posted higher sales. The key monthly figures are summarized below.
October sales at the four department store operators showed Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings' domestic department stores total up 10.9% year on year, J. Front Retailing's department store business total up 1.9%, H2O Retailing's all stores total up 13.2%, and Takashimaya's domestic department stores total up 2.1%. Sales at individual stores, including Isetan Shinjuku Main Store, Mitsukoshi Nihombashi Main Store and Mitsukoshi Ginza, remained strong.
At Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, sales at Isetan Shinjuku Main Store rose 12.5% year on year, Mitsukoshi Nihombashi Main Store rose 6.8% and Mitsukoshi Ginza rose 28.4%, among other figures, bringing the company's total to a 12.4% increase. Regional department stores, including Hakodate Marui Imai, rose 7.9%, while the domestic department stores total rose 10.9%.
At J. Front Retailing, total sales at Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores rose 0.9% year on year, while the department store business total rose 1.9%. Duty-free sales increased. Although domestic sales declined at some stores, domestic sales excluding duty-free sales remained relatively firm.
At H2O Retailing, sales for all stores rose 13.2% year on year. By component, Hankyu Main Store rose 12.3%, Hanshin Umeda Main Store rose 40.5% and the branches total rose 5.9%. In October, sales to domestic customers and duty-free sales grew substantially, while customer traffic from overseas remained at a high level.
At Takashimaya, the domestic department stores total rose 2.1%, while duty-free sales fell 0.5%. In-store sales improved overall, and the performance of each store was notable alongside trends in inbound demand.