Japan’s convenience store same-store sales rise 0.5% in September as non-food sales offset falling customer visits

Same-store sales at Japan’s convenience stores rose 0.5% year on year to ¥961.117 billion in September 2026, according to the Japan Franchise Association’s (JFA) monthly convenience store statistics. Sales exceeded the previous year’s level for the third consecutive month, but customer visits fell for the 15th month running. For those assessing franchise store operations in Japan, the results underline the importance of looking at sales growth and customer traffic separately.

Sales edge up as customer visits fall and spending per visit rises

According to the monthly report, covered by trade publication Ryutsu News on 20 October, same-store customer visits totalled 1,248,195,000 in September, down 3.8% year on year. Average spending per visit, meanwhile, rose 4.4% to ¥770.0. Higher spending per visit supported sales by offsetting the decline in customer traffic.

The key same-store indicators were:

• Sales: ¥961.117 billion, up 0.5% year on year
• Customer visits: 1,248,195,000, down 3.8%
• Average spending per visit: ¥770.0, up 4.4%

The duration of these trends also differs. Same-store sales had risen for three consecutive months, while customer visits had fallen for 15 consecutive months. Average spending per visit had exceeded the previous year’s level for 21 months running. September’s sales growth alone therefore cannot be taken as evidence of a recovery in customer traffic.

Nor does the increase in average spending per visit directly measure product price rises. The statistics establish only that average sales per customer visit increased. They do not separate changes in individual product prices from changes in the number of items purchased. To translate the findings into sales initiatives, operators need to compare them with purchasing patterns at their own stores.

Pre-tax-rise tobacco demand and growth in non-food sales

September saw a rush to buy heated tobacco products ahead of a tax increase in October. Fried foods, desserts, confectionery, toys and rain gear were also reported to have sold well. Non-food products, as well as food items, helped support sales.

Same-store non-food sales rose 8.7% year on year. By contrast, daily-delivered foods fell 0.7%, processed foods declined 4.8%, and services dropped 14.0%. Non-food was the only major category to record year-on-year growth.

Daily-delivered foods accounted for 35.0% of sales, processed foods for 27.0%, non-food products for 34.2%, and services for 3.8%. Non-food products thus represented roughly one-third of total sales, close to the share held by daily-delivered foods. Both this sales mix and the growth in non-food sales are important when interpreting September’s modest same-store sales increase.

However, the entire increase in non-food sales cannot be attributed to advance purchases of heated tobacco products. The published figures do not identify either the increase in tobacco sales alone or its contribution to overall sales growth. It is therefore important to distinguish demand linked to the timing of the tax rise from strong sales of other products.

It is also worth noting that, although fried foods, desserts and confectionery performed well, the broader daily-delivered and processed food categories both declined year on year. Strong performance by individual products does not necessarily reflect the direction of an entire category. Sales of popular items alone should not be used to judge the performance of food sales overall.

Total sales rise for the 19th consecutive month as store numbers reach 56,208

Sales across all stores totalled ¥999.508 billion, up 0.4% year on year. The number of stores increased 0.5% to 56,208. Total sales exceeded the previous year’s level for the 19th consecutive month.

Meanwhile, customer visits across all stores fell 3.6% to 1,309,591,000, while average spending per visit rose 4.2% to ¥763.2. The all-store figures therefore showed the same pattern as the same-store results: fewer visits but higher spending per visit.

All-store customer visits declined year on year for the fourth consecutive month, while average spending per visit increased for the 21st month running. Growth in both store numbers and total sales did not mean that total customer visits were rising. The scale of the store network and trends in customer traffic need to be assessed as separate indicators.

The survey covered seven convenience store operators that are full JFA members: Seicomart, Seven-Eleven Japan, FamilyMart, Poplar, Ministop, Yamazaki Baking’s Daily Yamazaki business division, and Lawson.

These are aggregate figures for the seven operators, not a picture of conditions at individual brands, in particular regions or at specific franchised stores. The reported figures also do not distinguish between franchised and company-operated stores. When assessing franchisee performance, they are best used as a benchmark for understanding national sales trends.

Franchisees should examine the sales mix and post-tax-rise trends

September’s results show that year-on-year sales growth and a recovery in customer visits are separate developments. Given the advance purchasing ahead of the tax increase, operators should also avoid assuming that September’s sales levels will continue into subsequent months. Demand after the tax rise will need to be assessed using future results.

When reviewing their own performance, franchisees could start by separating sales, customer visits and average spending per visit, then examine changes by product category. In particular, looking separately at non-food products, including tobacco, and food sales makes it easier to identify similarities and differences between an individual store and the national figures.

The sales indicators in this monthly report do not, on their own, establish whether profits rose or fell. Purchasing costs, staffing costs and differences in profitability arising from the product mix need to be checked separately against each store’s financial figures. When franchisors and franchisees share results, it is important not to equate higher sales automatically with improved profitability.

The practical priority is to break September’s sales growth down into customer visits, spending per visit and product mix, rather than treating it as a single trend. Separating out demand ahead of the tax rise and comparing it with subsequent sales provides a starting point for planning orders and promotions.