Total sales increased 0.1% year on year to 110,078 million. Existing store sales fell 0.6%, if sales of Highway Card toll cards are excluded. (Impact of these cards are 1.3%). Average daily sales per store were 488,000, while the average number of customers per store per day was 813, down 2.2%. Amount spent per customer was 605 on average, an increase of 1.6% year on year.

Existing stores sales were boosted 2.5% year on year in June by a rush to buy tobacco products before a tax increase took effect on July 1. Lawson closes its books every day at 13:30, meaning that sales after this time on June 30, the eve of the tax hike, were booked in July.

Ticket sales, notably for the band Southern All Stars and the movie Bayside Shakedown 2, were exceptionally strong in June 2003. Direct ticket sales at Lawson Tickets Co., Ltd. were also robust, leading to combined ticket sales at this subsidiary and Lawson stores of approximately 5.4 billion.

Advance ticket sales for Bayside Shakedown 2 amounted to around 60,000, while sales of related goods totaled around 30,000 items. Sales related to this movie are on track to bettering the previous record at Lawson stores.

Sales were sluggish in the first week of June, dampened by a low- pressure system over Japan and the fifth typhoon of the season. However, sales were largely the same as the previous year in mid- and late-June, improving as the weather turned for the better. Against this backdrop, Kodawari Curry, launched on June 3, and Chef's Sandwich, a new type of boxed sandwich that went on sale on June 17, were well received by customers. Lawson is continually working to enhance its product lineup centered on these kinds of strategic items, with the aim of revitalizing sales areas to drive an increase in sales volumes.

June 24 saw sales resume of Yakisake Harami, a rice ball made from Niigata Koshihikari rice. Sales were temporarily halted due to a shortage of ingredients.

The coming weeks are traditionally the busiest time of year for Lawson. We are therefore working to reinforce our lineup with products such as Zeitaku Hiyashi Chuka (480), which went on sale on July 1. Cold noodle dishes like this are popular during the hot summer months in Japan. In the coming weeks, Lawson will also be launching deserts and other original summer products. And, we will work to create stores that are enjoyable for customers to shop in, supported by a new campaign in mid-July designed to make people want to visit our stores.