(IDEX Online News) – Japan’s department stores posted a 2.6-percent increase in same-store sales in May from a year earlier boosted by sales of watches and jewelry.

 

The increase, the first for two months, was due to vibrant sales of high-end watches and jewelry, according to the Japan Department Stores Association (JDSA).

 

Sales of art, jewelry and precious metals, including high-end watches, soared by just over 23 percent, and posting the highest growth since comparable data began being published six years ago.

 

The JDSA added that overall sales totaled almost $5 billion (484.7 billion yen) in May.