Singapore retail sales rose by 4 per cent in April, following March’s 4 per cent (excluding motor vehicles). 

Statistics Singapore estimated retail sales (again excluding motor vehicles) in the city-state reached S$3.4 billion, of which 13.6 per cent came from online retail sales. 

Online retail sales of computer & telecommunications equipment, furniture & household equipment and supermarkets & hypermarkets comprised 48.8 per cent, 28.5 per cent and 12.7 per cent of sales in each sector. 

By category, the top performer in April was food & alcohol, which rose by 30.5 per cent, with cosmetics next, up by 16.8 per cent. Both sectors were helped by rising duty-free sales.

Sales of apparel & footwear rose by 13 per cent. 

Meanwhile, sales of food & beverage services grew by 15.1 per cent – a slower rate than March’s 17.7 per cent – to $946 million. Of this, online sales comprised 23.8 per cent, similar to the 24.6 per cent of March.