Singapore retail sales (after excluding motor vehicles from the data) rose 1.4 per cent year on year in November, reversing the 1 per cent decrease in October.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, retail sales remained at a similar level as October, according to the Department of Statistics Singapore.

The retail sales value was about SGD3.7 billion (US$2.7 billion), of which online sales accounted for 17.1 per cent compared to the 14.7 per cent in October. The larger proportion was attributed to year-end online shopping events such as Singles’ Day and Black Friday. 

More than half of the industries within the retail trade sector recorded year-on-year sales growth, led by food & alcohol (13.6 per cent) and watches & jewellery (12.9 per cent).

Recreational goods saw the biggest sales slump of 10.6 per cent, followed by furniture & household equipment with a 5.6 per cent decrease.

Sales of food & beverage services were up 1.4 per cent year on year in November, extending the 2.4 per cent increase in October. The sales value was approximately $714 million, of which 23.7 per cent were from online sales.