Singapore retail sales (excluding motor vehicles) grew by 2.5 per cent to SG$3.4 billion (US$2.5 billion) in June, following May’s 1.7 per cent increase.

The country’s seasonally adjusted retail sales were up 0.2 per cent month over month, data from the Department of Statistics Singapore shows.

Online retail sales accounted for 14.3 per cent of the total sales, it added.

The food and alcohol sector reported a 30.7 per cent jump in sales year over year, attributed to higher demand for alcoholic beverages, including those in duty-free shops.

While most of the remaining sectors posted a year-on-year increase in sales, petrol service stations saw a 24.2 per cent dip. Sales of motor vehicles also declined by 8.4 per cent in June.

The sales increase of food and beverages services continued to slow down for the month, up 7.2 per cent compared to the 8.7 per cent growth in May and 15.3 per cent in April.

The sales value of food and beverages services was $956 million, with 23.4 per cent coming from online transactions.