13.5% Drop in Jewelry Sales at Japanese Department Stores

Sales at Japanese Department Stores fell in October 6.8 percent to 584.56 billion yen ($6.05 billion), on a same-store basis. This is the eighth consecutive month of declines in department store sales in the country.

Jewelry and art works sales dropped 13.5 percent, while women's clothing sales declined 9.8 percent, according to data released Tuesday by the Japan Department Stores Association.

The figures cover sales at 281 stores operated by 92 companies. Sales in 10 major cities, including Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, dropped 7.2 percent, while sales in other parts of the country fell 6.1 percent.