Sales at convenience stores in Japan were nearly flat last month with only a 0.1 per cent gain from a year earlier, says the Japan Franchise Association.

Sales of salads, frozen foods and daily necessities were all favourable, says the association.

The same-store sales of eight major convenience-store companies totalled ¥741.8 billion (US$6.9 billion), logging the first increase in eight months.

However, snowy weather dragged down the number of customers by 2.8 per cent to 1.18 billion – the 23rd straight monthly decline.

Average spending per customer rose 2.9 per cent to ¥631, up for the 34th consecutive month and helped by solid sales of cooked items such as Chinese buns, fried food, ready-to-eat items and noodles, the association says.