The pace of Singapore retail sales growth eased in May, rising by just 1.8 per cent (excluding motor vehicles) compared with April’s 4.3 per cent. 

According to Statistics Singapore, seasonally-adjusted retail sales decreased by 0.4 per cent month on month in May.

Online transactions accounted for 13.3 per cent of overall sales, which totalled S$3.6 billion (US$2.66 billion). 

Despite the modest rise, most retail sectors recorded an increased turnover in May, with food and alcohol up by 24.9 per cent and cosmetics by 13.1 per cent. Those figures include duty-free sales.

A reduction in the price of petrol saw sales through petrol stations decline by 18.2 per cent, while recreational goods turnover fell by 6.9 per cent and supermarket sales by 2.2 per cent. 

Meanwhile, sales of food & beverage services rose by 8.5 per cent during the month, again lower than April’s 15.3 per cent improvement.

Food & beverage service sales reached $994 million for the month, with 24.6 per cent of that via online channels, up from 23.8 per cent in April.