Retail sales reeled a slight 0.9% in April

Blame the month-on-month slide on slower receipts for motor vehicles and furniture & household equipment.

Motor vehicles contracted 6.3%, the highest among the retail sectors, while furniture & household equipment dipped 3.2%.

The sluggish sales of motor vehicles was significant enough to drag down the whole retail index to negative territory. Excluding motor vehicles, retail sales actually went up 0.8%.

But on a year-on-year basis, retail sales rose 2.2% in April 2012. Excluding motor vehicles, retail sales increased 2.9%.

Here's more from SingStat:

Month-on-Month Change (Seasonally Adjusted). After seasonal adjustment, retailers of motor vehicles and furniture & household equipment recorded declines in sales of 6.3% and 3.2% respectively in April 2012 over March 2012. Retail sales of provision & sundry shops, department stores, optical goods & books and petrol service stations also decreased between 0.8% and 1.5% compared to the previous month.

On the other hand, retailers of recreational goods, telecommunications apparatus & computers, medical goods & toiletries, food & beverages, watches & jewellery, supermarkets and wearing apparel & footwear registered increases in sales of between 1.1% and 4.6% in April 2012 over March 2012.

Year-on-Year Change. Compared to April 2011, retailers of medical goods & toiletries, telecommunications apparatus & computers, supermarkets and petrol service stations recorded increases in sales of between 5.2% and 9.8% in April 2012. Similarly, retail sales of food & beverages, watches & jewellery, provision & sundry shops, furniture & household equipment and wearing apparel & footwear increased between 1.6% and 4.2%.

On the other hand, retailers of optical goods & books reported a 6.2% decline in sales while retail sales of motor vehicles decreased 0.2% in April 2012 over April 2011.