Singapore's Sept retail sales excluding cars down 1.9% y-o-y (Amended)

RETAIL sales in Singapore, excluding vehicles, for the month of September inched up slightly from the previous month, but were still lower than the same month last year.

Figures from the Department of Statistics (DOS) showed on Tuesday that sales had increased by 0.7 per cent month-on-month, but fell 1.9 per cent year-on-year.

Including car sales, the overall retail landscape was almost a mirror image.

Total retail sales fell by 0.7 per cent over August, but were 2 per cent higher than in September 2015.

Car sales dipped 6.3 per cent month-on-month, but were still 20.4 per cent higher year-on-year.

DOS estimated that the total retail sales value in September was S$3.5 billion.

September's showing portrayed a turnaround from a moribund August. Retail sales for the month of August had tumbled from the previous year with declines in every segment except motor vehicles. Including vehicles, for which sales were up a sharp 30.4 per cent, the overall index was down 0.5 per cent in August from the previous year.

Amendment note: An earlier version of the article stated that August's overall index, which includes vehicle sales, was down one per cent from August in the previous year. The fall has since been revised to 0.5 per cent. This article has been edited to reflect the revision.