Retail sales rise in May, thanks to 46.6% jump in vehicle sales
PUBLISHED ONJuly 15, 2015 7:30 AM
SINGAPORE - Total retail sales for the month of May rose by 6.1 per cent year-on-year, thanks to a 46.6 per cent rise in the motor vehicles sector.
Excluding motor vehicles, retail sales rose by just 0.9 per cent.
The total retail sales value in May this year was estimated at $3.5 billion.
When compared month-on-month, total retail sales rose by 2.4 per cent in May.
Year-on-year dips in retail sales were recorded in some industries including petrol services stations (-16.2 per cent), recreational goods (-11.9 per cent), and optical goods and services (-8.3 per cent).
The largest month-on-month dip was recorded for telecommunications apparatus and computers (-10.9 per cent).
The medical goods and toiletries sector recorded a 10.3 per cent growth year-on-year, and a 5.9 per cent growth month-on-month.
The food and beverages sector recorded a 3.3 per cent drop year-on-year, but rose by 5.4 per cent month-on-month.
Compared to May 2014, turnover of restaurants decreased about 5.9 per cent last month.
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