Retail sales in Singapore dropped 8.7%

Blame it on lower motor vehicles sales.

According to the Department of Statistics, compared to November 2012 retail sales declined 8.7% in November 2013, mainly due to lower motor vehicles sales. Excluding motor vehicles, retail sales went up by 0.4%

On the other hand, retailers of motor vehicles and telecommunications apparatus & computers recorded declines in sales of 5.8% and 2.2% respectively compared to the previous month.

Year-on-Year Change

Compared to November 2012, retailers of motor vehicles and telecommunications apparatus & computers reported double-digit declines in sales of 41.8% and 11.7% respectively in November 2013. Similarly, retail sales of furniture & household equipment and watches & jewellery decreased 4.4% and 2.8% respectively over the same period.

In contrast, retail sales of optical goods & books, petrol service stations, department stores, supermarkets, food & beverages, recreational goods and medical goods & toiletries increased between 1.3% and 7.2% in November 2013 over November 2012.