SINGAPORE, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's retail sales decreased 2.1 percent year on year in May, compared to a recalculated 1.9 percent decrease in April, the Department of Statistics of Singapore announced on Friday.
The retail sales decreased 2.2 percent month on month on a seasonally adjusted basis in May, compared to a revised 0.4 percent increase in the previous month.
The authority said excluding motor vehicles, the retail sales in May fell by one percent year on year and one percent month on month.
It added that the estimated total retail sales value in May was about 3.7 billion Singapore dollars (about 2.73 billion U.S. dollars). Of which, online retail sales made up an estimated 5.3 percent.
According to the authority, both the sales of motor vehicles and the sales of furniture and household equipment industries declined 7.5 percent in May, as a result of fewer motor vehicles sold and lower sales of furniture respectively. The sales of watches and jewellery industry grew by 4.1 percent in the month, due partly to higher demand for gold jewellery arising from the Akshaya Tritiya festival.
Meanwhile, the sales of food and beverage services increased two percent year on year but fell one percent month on month. The sales value was estimated at 849 million Singapore dollars (625 million U.S. dollars).
