SINGAPORE: Retail sales in Singapore increased 1.1 per cent in November from the previous year, according to figures released by the Department of Statistics (Singstat) on Friday (Jan 13).
Excluding motor vehicles, total retail sales were 2.1 per cent lower than November last year.
On a month-on-month basis, retail sales rose 0.5 per cent. Excluding motor vehicles, they decreased 0.3 per cent. The total retail sales value in November was estimated at S$3.6 billion, similar to that in November 2015.
Retailers of motor vehicles recorded a sales increase of 17 per cent from the previous year, the largest out of all the sectors. Medical goods and toiletries, recreational goods and optical goods and books saw more moderate growth, with sales rising between 0.3 per cent and 4.4 per cent.
Computer and telecommunications equipment continued to see the largest fall in sales across the sectors, dropping 13.5 per cent from the previous year. Retail sales of watches and jewellery, wearing apparel and footwear, furniture and household equipment, supermarkets, food and beverages, department stores, mini-marts and convenience stores, as well as petrol service stations fell between 1.1 per cent and 6.0 per cent during this period.
Sales of food and beverage services decreased 1.3 per cent compared to the previous year. It also recorded a 1.6 per cent decline from the previous month. The total sales value in this sector was estimated at S$650 million, lower than the S$659 million in November 2015, Singstat said.
The Retail Sales Index and the Food and Beverage Services Index measure the short-term performance of retail and F&B service industries based on their sales records. The sales figures exclude taxes such as GST and COE.
