Macroeconomic Insights - Japan's consumer confidence index reached 40.0 in February, the highest in nearly 7 years, indicating a positive shift in consumer sentiment[2] - Real wages turned positive in January 2026, increasing by 1.4% year-on-year, a significant improvement from December's -0.1%[2] - February's CPI rose by 1.3% year-on-year, down 0.2 percentage points from January, while core CPI increased by 1.6%, down 0.4 percentage points[11] Industry Performance - Domestic consumption remains robust, with growth in dining, clothing, home goods, and department stores, driven by improved real wages and seasonal demand[3] - Inbound tourism faced challenges, particularly from reduced visitors from mainland China, but overall visitor numbers still showed year-on-year growth, mitigating expected impacts on consumption[3] - Essential consumption demonstrated resilience, with notable year-on-year sales increases for major retailers like PPIH (+4.0%), Aeon (+1.9%), and 7-Eleven (+2.5%) in February[4] Consumer Spending Trends - In the restaurant sector, notable year-on-year same-store sales growth was observed for Sally's (+18.2%) and Food & Life (+12.4%) in February, reflecting strong domestic demand[5] - Clothing sales also saw significant growth, with Workman reporting a 23.2% increase in same-store sales, driven by seasonal demand[5] - Department store sales in February reached 432 billion yen, up 1.6% year-on-year, supported by local consumer demand despite a 15.5% drop in duty-free sales[5] Market Outlook - The stock market for the consumer sector saw declines in March, with textiles and apparel down 11.3% and retail down 5.5%, indicating market volatility[6] - Investment recommendations highlight companies like Sally's, which benefits from consumer downgrading trends, and Food & Life, which is expected to see continued growth from domestic and overseas markets[7]