Retail in Asia

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Motor vehicles boost Singapore retail sales in May

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Retail sales in Singapore rose 3 per cent in May compared with the previous year, mainly due to a jump in sales of motor vehicles, the Department of Statistics (SingStat) said on Friday (Jul 15).

However, excluding motor vehicles, retail sales dipped 3.3 per cent compared with the same period a year ago.

On a month-on-month basis, retail sales edged up 1.4 per cent in May. Excluding motor vehicles, retail sales rose 2.3 per cent.

The total retail sales value in May was estimated at S$3.7 billion, up from S$3.6 billion a year ago.

Retailers of motor vehicles recorded a sales increase of 35.9 per cent compared to the previous year, the highest increase of all sectors. The next best performing sector was furniture and household equipment, which saw a 3.1 per cent increase. The medical goods and toiletries sector also recorded an increase of 1.9 per cent.

All other sectors were in the red.