Retail sales in June up 6.9% on double-digit surge in motor vehicle sales

RETAIL sales for June rose 6.9 per cent year on year, bolstered by a double-digit jump in sales of motor vehicles.

Stripping out motor vehicle sales, sales for June actually fell 3 per cent, according to a release from the Department of Statistics (DOS) on Friday.

Sales of motor vehicles grew robustly year on year, skyrocketing 85.2 per cent.

"The total retail sales value in June 2015 was estimated at S$3.5 billion, higher than the S$3.3 billion in June 2014," the DOS release said.

During the month, retail sales of supermarkets and department stores increased 2.7 per cent and 1.9 per cent respectively.

However, retail sales of petrol service stations and optical goods & books slumped 16.7 per cent and 11.6 per cent respectively, the release said.

When comparing month on month, retail sales (seasonally adjusted) edged up 0.6 per cent in June with motor vehicle sales included, and sank 3.9 per cent without.