According to the Japan Chain Stores Association (55 firms, 10,538 stores), sales of apparel during November 2019 fell 7.9% compared to the same month of 2018 to 70,928 million yen. The warm weather affected sales of outerwear.
Apparel sales decreased across the board: women’s wear, 19,588 million yen (down 7.8%); men’s wear, 14,620 million yen (down 10.3%; and other garments, 36,721 million yen (down 6.8%).
In women’s wear, sales were strong for formal wear, jackets and sweaters, while those of outerwear, cut and sewn articles and bottomwear were stagnant.
In men’s wear, jackets, slacks and shirts showed some movements, but sales of sweaters, bottoms and outerwear were slow.
Favorable items in other garments were innerwear and pajamas for women and men and rain goods, while sales were sluggish for headwear and other winter accessories, along with children’s coats and jackets.