Fast Retailing : Uniqlo's July same-store sales up 4% on stay-at-home demand

Casual fashion brand Uniqlo's Japanese same-store sales rose 4% year on year in July as consumers stocked up on comfortable "stay at home" clothes amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, its owner, Fast Retailing Co Ltd, said on Tuesday.

The 4% rise in domestic same-store sales, including online purchases, followed a 26% jump in June, which came after a three-month slump when the coronavirus outbreak kept shoppers at home and tourists away.

"Stay at home demand" lifted July sales, with items such as stretchy jogging pants and oversized T-shirts proving popular, the company said.

Analysts have said Uniqlo's focus on practical, everyday clothes rather than more on-trend fashion may help it weather the coronavirus downturn better than global peers.

(Reporting by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Robert Birsel)