Convenience store sales on a same-store basis fell 4.7 pct year-on-year to 597.1 bln yen in July, the 12th consecutive month of decline, the Japan Franchise Association said. The drop was the 26th in the last 29 months. Year-earlier results were inflated by brisk sales of soft drinks, ice cream and noodles, the result of an unusually hot summer, the association said. The average purchase per customer rose 0.2 pct to 575 yen on a same-store basis, while the number of customers dropped 4.8 pct to 1.02 bln, the association said. The total number of convenience stores as of July 31 stood at 39,392, up 2.6 pct from the year before, it said. On an all-store basis, sales fell 1.2 pct year-on-year to 653.8 bln yen, while the average purchase per customer grew 0.4 pct to 573 yen, data from the association show.