Real Singapore retail sales stable in September

Real Singapore retail sales (excluding motor vehicles) slipped by 0.3 percent in September compared to the same month last year.

With motor vehicle sales included, the decrease was 2.2 percent, marking the eighth consecutive monthly decrease in the headline figure.s

Month on month, retail sales excluding vehicles rose by 0.8 percent.

Significantly, online sales grew to account for 6.9 percent of total sales in September.

Year on year, the worst affected categories aside from vehicles (down 12.3 percent) were furniture and household equipment; recreational goods; and watches and jewelry which experienced declines of between 4.4 percent and 8.9 percent. Sales of department stores declined by 1.2 per cent respectively.

On the positive side, retailers of computer and telecommunications equipment posted sales growth of 8.7 percent, while sales of apparel and footwear; medical goods and toiletries; and optical goods and books increased by between 2.1 percent and 4.2 percent.

Singapore retail sales of food and beverage services grew by 4.3 percent year on year in September and by 0.4 percent month on month.

Sales at fast-food outlets; cafes; food courts and other eating places; and restaurants reported sales up by 12.5 percent, 4.6 percent and 2.7 percent respectively, while turnover of food caterers declined 0.5 percent.