SINGAPORE: Retail sales in Singapore fell 1.9 percent year-on-year in November, an improvement from the revised 8.5 percent drop in October, according to figures released by the Department of Statistics (SingStat) on Tuesday ( January 5).
Excluding auto sales, retail sales were down 2.9 percent in November compared to the 11 percent drop in October.
This was mainly due to multiple sales events such as Singles Day (11.11), Black Friday and the launches of new mobile phones, SingStat said.
Compared to the previous month, seasonally adjusted retail sales also improved, expanding 7.3% in November compared to 0.2% in October.
If motor vehicles are excluded, seasonally adjusted retail sales grew 9.8% compared to 0.1% in October.
Year-over-year, most retail industries continued to see sales declines in November. Sales of cosmetics, department stores, as well as clothing and footwear decreased between 22.3% and 27.5%, as these industries continued to be affected by the low arrival of visitors.
Meanwhile, computer and telecommunications equipment, along with furniture and home equipment, posted sales growth of 29% and 28.5%, respectively. This is mainly due to higher sales of mobile phones and home appliances, SingStat said.
Supermarkets and hypermarkets saw sales growth of 22.6 percent, while sales of recreational items increased 13.1 percent, due to higher demand for groceries and sporting goods.
(Table: SingStat)
SALES GROWTH IN MOST RETAIL INDUSTRIES IN NOVEMBER
On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, most retail industries posted sales growth in November.
Computers and telecommunications posted a 59 percent sales increase due to the launch of new mobile phones.
Watches and jewelery, department stores, as well as furniture and household goods registered higher sales of between 13.4% and 20.7%.
By contrast, motor vehicles posted a 5.2 percent decline in sales during this period.
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The total estimated value of retail sales in November was about S $ 3.6 billion, of which 14.3% was spent online, an increase from 10.5% in the previous month.
“The largest proportion of online retail sales was due to online shopping events in November, such as Singles’ Day,” SingStat said.
(Table: SingStat)
F&B SALES DOWN IN NOVEMBER
Food and beverage sales fell 22.5 percent in November on a year-over-year basis.
Catering services turnover fell by 75.3% as demand for event catering remained low.
Similarly, restaurants, cafes, food courts and other places to eat, as well as fast food establishments, registered a decrease in sales of between 3.2% and 25.3%.
On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, all F&B service industries posted sales growth in November.
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“The total value of food and beverage service sales in November 2020 was estimated at S $ 705 million.
“Of these, online food and beverage sales accounted for an estimated 19.3 percent,” SingStat said.
