Cloudiest Tokyo Summer in 129 Years Hits Japan’s Retailers
- Average temperature was down 20% through most of the month
- Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing in focus, to report Aug. 2
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Japan’s unusually long and cool rainy season dampened demand for apparel, furniture and other goods, with some retailers already reporting steep drops in merchandise sales.
Shimamura Co., a chain of affordable clothing shops, reported last week that same-store sales through July 20 fell 18% from a year earlier. Many of Shimamura’s customers reach the company’s 1,433 locations in Japan via bicycle, rather than cars, so rainy days tend to have an outsized impact on revenue, a spokeswoman said.