TOKYO (AFX-ASIA) - An official of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said that retail sales are expected to continue their declining trend and it is unlikely that they will bottom out in the near future. "I don't think we can easily find a sector which is able to push up overall retail sales for the time being," the official said. The official said the auto sector, a key group along with household goods, is unlikely to return to positive growth as long as firms release cheap sub-compact and light vehicles. Retail sales in the auto sector fell 4.8 pct year-on-year in January compared with a 7.6 pct fall in December, while household goods were down 7.3 pct after a 9.8 pct fall the previous month. The official said household goods had previously been led by PC sales but until there is a recovery in the PC segment or another category emerges to take the lead, "I don't think the sector will recover." The official said a sharp sales increase in new electrical products, such as DVDs, digital cameras and liquid crystal TVs is not yet capable of pushing up overall retail sales. The official said the ministry is holding is overall assessment unchanged -- "retail sales are weak." In January, sales in department stores rose 0.1 pct year-on-year on an existing store basis, thanks to strong sales of designer brand products, but sales in supermarkets were down 3.5 pct. "The state of supermarket sales continued to be severe in January," the official said. He said that a 20 pct year-on-year drop in sales at one supermarket operator, which he declined to name, dragged down the overall outcome in the sector.