SINGAPORE - Shoppers in Singapore were freer with their money in January, according to the latest data released by the Singapore Department of Statistics on Friday.
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Here is the press statement from Singapore Department of Statistics:
Month-on-Month Change (Seasonally Adjusted)
After seasonal adjustment, retail sales of optical goods & books, watches & jewellery, supermarkets, food & beverages, recreational goods, motor vehicles, department stores and furniture & household equipment went up between 0.6 per cent and 7.4 per cent in January 2014 over December 2013.
On the other hand, wearing apparel & footwear, medical goods & toiletries, provision & sundry shops and petrol service stations recorded declines of 0.4 per cent to 8.2 per cent in retail sales in January 2014 over the previous month.
Year-on-Year Change
Compared to January 2013, retail sales of food & beverages , supermarkets and department stores grew significantly by 18.0 per cent to 44.9 per cent in January 2014, partly due to Chinese New Year. Retail sales of medical goods & toiletries, watches & jewellery, provision & sundry shops, petrol service stations, recreational goods, optical goods & books and wearing apparel & footwear also reported higher retail sales of between 3.7 per cent and 10.2 per cent over the same period.
In contrast, retailers of motor vehicles reported a decline of 33.2 per cent in sales in January 2014. Similarly, retail sales of telecommunications apparatus & computers and furniture & household equipment decreased by 5.5 per cent and 1.4 per cent respectively in January 2014 over January 2013.
Sales of Food & Beverage S ervices by Sector
Month-on-Month Change (Seasonally Adjusted)
After seasonal adjustment, fast food outlets, restaurants and other eating places (such as cafes and canteens) recorded increases in receipts of between 2.8 per cent and 8.9 per cent in January 20 14 over December 2013.
Turnover of food caterers declined 0.7 per cent in January 2014 compared to the previous month.
Year-on-Year Change On a year-on-year basis, all categories of food & beverage services establishments recorded growth in sales in J anuary 2014. Their turnover rose between 2.5 per cent and 8.5 per cent during this period.