Singapore retail sales up 2.6% in April from a year ago

TOTAL retail sales in Singapore rose by 2.6 per cent in April compared to a year ago, buoyed by double-digit increases in sales of watches and jewellery, and petrol service station sales.

Without motor vehicles, retail sales went up 4.9 per cent year-on-year. Motor vehicles performed the most poorly among the industries, declining 6.4 per cent compared to the same period a year ago.

Compared to March, total seasonally adjusted retail sales went up 1.6 per cent, with departmental store sales showing the biggest improvement. Excluding motor sales, retail sales went up by 4.4 per cent month-on-month. Again, motor vehicle sales had the steepest decline at 9.4 per cent compared to March.

The total retail sales value in April 2017 was estimated at S$3.5 billion, higher than the S$3.4 billion in April 2016.