SINGAPORE: Retail sales in September rose 1.9 per cent compared to the previous year, with sales for petrol stations and watches and jewellery growing the most.
According to the Retail Sales Index released on Monday (Nov 12), sales for petrol service stations increased by 11.4 per cent year-on-year mainly due to higher petrol prices.
AdvertisementThe sales volume increase was 2.1 per cent after removing the price effect, according to the Singapore Department of Statistics.
Sales for watches and jewellery grew by 7.4 per cent partly due to higher demand for watches, it added.
Growth in sales was also recorded for other sectors, including medical goods and toiletries (3.3 per cent), and apparel and footwear (3 per cent).
Meanwhile, computer and telecommunications equipment had the biggest slump in sales, recording a 5.8 per cent drop compared to September last year. Sales for optical goods and books dropped by 3.1 per cent.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe total retail sales value for September was about S$3.6 billion, 4.9 per cent of which was made up of online sales.
F&B SERVICES SALES UP 1.3%
For food and beverage services, sales grew by 1.3 per cent with total sales recorded at about S$704 million, higher than the S$695 million in the previous year.
Sales for fast food outlets increased by 5.9 per cent and restaurants by 4 per cent compared to last year. However, sales for food caterers fell by 8.9 per cent in September.
The Retail Sales Index and Food and Beverage Index measure the short-term performance of the two industries based on sales records.
The sales figure refers to the value of goods sold to consumers during the month and excludes taxes such as Goods and Services Tax and Certificates of Entitlement.
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