March retail sales in Singapore down

March retail sales in Singapore fell 9.7 percent year on year in March 2019, as tourist numbers fell and locals spent less on discretionary items in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The decline was the largest in a single month in 22 years.

With motor vehicles included in the total figure, retail sales were down by 13.3 percent, according to Statistics Singapore. March retail sales in Singapore totaled S$3.3 billion (US$2.33 billion).

Compared to February, however, there was little change in the vehicles-excluded figure, with sales down 1.6 percent in March. In February retail sales excluding motor vehicles fell by 10.2 percent, year on year.

The impact of the Covid-19 crisis on consumer shopping behavior was evident: online sales accounted for 8.5 percent of total sales, the highest figure ever recorded in the city-state. It followed a 7.4-per-cent share in February.

Year on year, March retail sales in Singapore of apparel and footwear, food & alcohol, in department stores and of watches & jewelry declined by between 34.4 percent and 41.6 percent – mainly due to the decline in tourists spending.

However – reflecting the trend towards eating at home more to ensure social distancing during the onset of the pandemic, turnover through supermarkets & hypermarkets rose by 35.9 percent and through mini-marts & convenience stores by 4.7 percent.

The pandemic’s impact was also highlighted by data from sales of food & beverages. Sales fell 23.7 percent in March, to an estimated $678 million. Of those, online purchases comprised about 15.6 percent.