Singapore retail sales in February fell by 10.2 per cent, excluding motor vehicles. 

Including motor vehicles, sales were down by 8.6 per cent year on year. 

In releasing the data, Statistics Singapore attributed the decline to falling sales of discretionary items due to fewer inbound tourists and lower domestic consumption in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The month-on-month decline in Singapore retail sales in February was 11.2 per cent, excluding motor vehicles. 

The two worst-affected categories in February were apparel and footwear, down 41 per cent year on year, and food and alcohol, down by 40.5 per cent. 

Sales in department stores dropped by 36.3 per cent, while sales of watches and jewellery fell by 23.8 per cent.

On the plus side, sales by supermarkets and hypermarkets surged by 15.3 per cent and of furniture and household equipment by 5.9 per cent. 

Statistics Singapore estimated total Singapore retail sales in February at $3.1 billion. Of that figure, online retail sales accounted for 7.4 per cent, with the computer & telecommunications equipment the largest contributor, accounting for 30.4 per cent. 

Food & beverage services

Meanwhile, year-on-year sales of food & beverage services fell by 16.6 per cent in February, on the back of declining consumption related to the coronavirus pandemic. On a seasonally adjusted basis, sales of food & beverage services decreased by 18.3 per cent month on month. 

Statistics Singapore estimated sales of food & beverage services in February totalling $732 million, of which online sales accounted for 12.5 per cent. 

The turnover of food caterers and restaurants decreased by 31.5 per cent and 29.1 per cent respectively, while sales by cafes, food courts and other eating places decreased by 2.3 per cent. Sales by fast-food outlets rose 5.8 per cent during the month.