Motor vehicle retail segment got pummeled the most in Feb

While telco and clothes made comebacks.

According to the newest SingStat release on February retail data, motor vehicle sales suffered a 12.3% decline month-on-month (seasonally adjusted), the largest decline among all retail subsectors. Year-on-year, motor vehicle sales were also the worst-performing, dropping 39.7% from February 2012.

In contrast, telecommunication, computers, and wearing apparel all grew double-digits on a per month (sa) basis.

Here's more from SingStat:

Retail Sales by Sector - Month-on-Month Change (Seasonally Adjusted)

After seasonal adjustment, retailers of medical goods & toiletries, telecommunications apparatus & computers, watches & jewellery and wearing apparel & footwear recorded a double-digit increase in sales of between 11.0% and 20.4% in February 2013 over January 2013. Similarly, retail sales of recreational goods, optical goods & books, department stores, supermarkets, food & beverages, furniture & household equipment and provision & sundry shops rose between 1.8% and 8.1% compared to the previous month. On the other hand, retailers of motor vehicles recorded a 12.3% decline in sales over the same period.

Retail Sales by Sector - Year-on-Year Change

Compared to February 2012, retailers of motor vehicles recorded a decrease in sales of 39.7% in February 2013. Retail sales of optical goods & books, furniture & household equipment and petrol service stations also registered declines of between 4.6% and 9.0%. In contrast, retail sales of food & beverages, supermarkets, wearing apparel & footwear and department stores recorded double-digit increases of between 19.2% and 55.9% in February 2013 over February 2012. The strong year-on-year growth was partly due to higher sales during the Chinese New Year holiday which fell in February this year as compared to last year when the Chinese New Year occurred in January 2012. Similarly, retail sales of medical goods & toiletries, provision & sundry shops, watches & jewellery and telecommunications apparatus & computers increased by 5.9 % to 12.9% over the same period